Knives in the Dark
by Menamebephil
Summary: My first attempt at Avatar. Is anyone surprised that it's an AU? This is not Maikka, unfortunately. Ty-Lokka, Kataang, Maiko, with maybe a little Tokka for seasoning. A really dumb idea, masquerading as a For the Want of a Nail type story.
1. The Daily Grind

**Knives in the Dark.**

**Alright, my first multichapter Avatar story. This is all kinds of AU, as if you need telling. I'm testing out a new POV, so tell me if it works, please. Time-wise, this starts just pre-season 2 (but peppered with flashbacks), with appropriate changes, of course. Oh, and one character starts off wildly OOC. This was intentional. I'm also trying to make this one longer in the chapters, so updates will probably be slower.**

**--**

**Chapter One: The Daily Grind.**

The Assassin.

Suit up.

Knives at my belt, hide them under the servant's jacket. Long knife in my sleeve, designed to be hidden there. Gotta be careful how I hold my arm, or I'll slice myself open. Knife on my calf, under my trouser leg. Not ideal, I can't get at it in a hurry, but the uniform demands it. Smoke bombs in my pocket. I won't need them. I almost never do, even on the most difficult jobs, which this one most definitely isn't. No poisons this time, no point, not when there's a perfectly serviceable kitchen right on site. They have a rat problem. I know this because I snuck the rats into the house in the first place.

Makes things easier, I guess. Besides, somehow I found myself with a name to uphold. Who'd 'a thunk it?

Now I wait. Wait for the Bitch Princess to give the word. Wait until she tells me it's time for our friend the Councillor to die.

I never learn their names. It's easier that way. Never ask them for last words, either.

Always close their eyes, though. That's the least I can do, since we're both in this together. They don't want to die, I don't want to kill them. Does that cancel everything out, then?

Where did that come from? Of course it doesn't cancel anything out.

--

I sat in my room, waiting. Normally, I relish any down time I get, but this was just... frustrating. I have to sit in my crappy little room, perched on the (brown) cot, staring at the (brown) walls, or, for a little variety, staring out the (brown) windows. This wing of the palace is hardly ever cleaned. Probably spend all the money on gilt.

I wished that the order would come, and then felt guilty because it suddenly occurred to me that I was wishing that the Councillor would die sooner, just to alleviate my mood.

I started pacing, trying to shake off my restless energy. I don't have the right kind of room for pacing, though. Two and a half strides one way, a sharp pivot on my heel, two and a half strides the other way, sharp pivot on my heel, and repeat. I'm pretty sure that if anyone came in then I'd have felt completely ridiculous.

Not that that was gonna happen. The only person who ever came in without knocking was-

Don't go there. Just don't go there. Need to think about something that'll keep me diverted for the next ten minutes, not something that'll gnaw at my stomach for the rest of the night.

Hmm.

"The fighting style of the Warriors of Kyoshi is the closest remaining martial art to the lost airbending disciplines. The traditional weapons for the Kyoshi Warriors are twin fans, used mainly for misdirecting the strikes of opponents, or disguising strikes, although the traditional Earth Kingdom swords have been observed as well. The strengths of the Kyoshi style (_kyoshitsu_) are mainly in using the physical power of their opponent against them, usually by misdirecting momentum or other such techniques. When it comes to aggressive movements, kyoshitsu is somewhat lacking, and as such is most effective when combined with more traditional Earth Kingdom forms. The most effective counter in single combat is to assume an equally defensive stance, such as the Fire Nation Sleeping Mountain stance..."

--

It took over an hour, by which time I'd gone over everything I knew about how to take down anyone, from the standard Earthbender (roll under their line of sight (Earthbending stances are usually straight-backed for more strength) and break their arms) to an Airbending Master (throw lots of pointy objects at them while running towards them in an erratic pattern, try a knee to the groin, and hope like mad), but eventually there was a knock on my door in a specific pattern and a white slip of paper was stuck under my door. I waited for thirty seconds, then walked out into the empty corridor.

--

It took an hour to walk to the Councillor's estate, near the edge of the city. I kinda like walking in the city at night. 'Course, it's not exactly what you would call _safe_, there's as much crime and violence as you'd expect in a city this size, especially then, when all the levied soldiers were gathered, getting ready for another push towards Ba Sing Se, but there's something about the knowledge that I could kill someone in seven different ways without drawing steel (and I had lots of steel, too) that made me feel confident enough.

It was a nice night, too. The factories had slowed, since they'd already churned out most of the new war machines (and I was just _itching_ to have a look at some of them; I don't know what I'd _do_ with them, but I can't help but think that my education these last few years has been severely lacking), so there wasn't much smoke in the air. The moon was pretty bright. I wondered why.

And I don't mean why in any kind of romantic, airy-fairy sense. I actually want to know why the moon shines, and why it shines brighter some nights than others. But, like I said, my education has been pretty limited for the past... past...

_Seven years_? Has it really been that long? Crap.

I killed my first man when I was eight years old. That kinda set the tone from there on.

--

I was met at the servant's entrance by a tall, thin man with thinning hair and a tired look.

"You Ji's brother? Thanks for coming."

Ji was a Water Tribe half-caste, employed as a kitchen boy, that had recently come down with a severe case of Money.

"No worries. I owe him anyway," I said. The servant shot a politely interested look, and I elaborated.

"Lost a bet." My tone was pitched to include the unspoken phrase _'you don't want to know'_. The man nodded in understanding and I hurried through.

This was a type II job, as I termed it. Type I is sneaky; I break in, avoid any guards, and take out the target. It's simple, but it doesn't always work. Type III is direct- brute force. I don't do that often, but sometimes- when types I and II fall through- I have to. There are other types, but I'll get to them later. Type II is the conman approach. I enjoy planning them the most, although they're hardly practical.

Take this evening for example. I had noted that the servants included someone with a Water Tribe parent. It happens sometimes, either deserters, or former prisoners that have been through the camps. Not important. Anyway, I presented my plan to Princess Bitch, and she had one of her servants approach Ji in a bar, and suggest that is he stayed at home on this particular day, not only would someone cover for his shift, but he would find a bag of gold under his sofa.

I like the idea of helping out my fellow countryman, and that's what it seems like, as long as I don't think about it directly.

Anyway, I made my way through the dark corridors (what is it with Fire Nation rich boys and dramatic lighting? Seriously, it just makes it harder to see, and I've got better night vision than any of these salamanders) and found my way into the kitchen. It was empty, and there was a bowl of soup cooling on the side.

Some kind of spirit _had_ to be with me tonight. Normally, I'd have settled for at least an hour of menial labour just to get to this point.

I flicked through the cupboards until I found a small paper bag of dark grey powder. Perfect. When this stuff mixed with the acids in his stomach, the Councillor would be exhaling poison. Killed by his own breath.

I mixed some into the bowl, then left the room.

--

Five minutes later I was standing in the shadows of the dining room, watching the Councillor try to breathe, every breath expelling more of the poison into his mouth, where his lungs gulped it down, and before a minute was up, his neck lolled and he fell back into his chair.

I walked over to him, cloth over my face, but I couldn't block out the smell; it was like garlic and rotted fish. Gross.

The man looked like every other one- black hair, long thin beard, no moustache. The clothes were expensive, the one look that never went out of style. I reached out, and closed his eyes.

I felt sick. Every time, every time I did this, I always felt sick, looking at what I had done, what my actions had led to. And I revelled in the feeling. I savoured it. I stared long and hard at this man's face, committing every detail to memory, torturing my conscience with his features.

The pain meant I wasn't numb. The remorse meant I wasn't like _them_. Nowadays, that was pretty much my only consolation.

'Cause no matter how much I didn't want to, no matter how bad I felt about it, I still killed people.

--

It was late when I got back to my room. In fact, it was almost early, and I was thinking of nothing but sleep. One of the few perks of this job is the fact that I hardly ever have to get up early.

But there was an old woman in my room, waiting for me.

"Sweeper," she croaked, and I recognised her. Lo. One of Princess Bitch's advisers.

...Or was it Li? I could never tell. Anyway.

"Sweeper," Lo (or possibly Li) croaked, "Princess Azula requires your services. Take your things and come with me."

"I'm fine, thanks, how are you?" Okay, okay, I'll admit I was annoyed. But seriously, where's the harm in common courtesy?

"Is Hong dead, Sweeper?" Li (Lo?) asked.

"Was that his name? Yeah, he's dead. No one saw it, no one saw me tamper with the soup. It looked like good soup, too. Waste of good food." Sorry, Hong. I didn't really want to, you know.

That okay with you?

"Excellent. Now, collect what you need and come with me."

I nodded, tiredly. "Alright, give me a moment."

I walked over to the small cupboard, and opened it. I grabbed my belt, and the small bag of all-purpose clothes.

"Where are we going?"

"The Earth Kingdom," Lo/Li answered. Huh. That was new; but I was prepared for it.

"Okay." I grabbed my Earth Peasant Garb from a peg, and stuffed it in the bag. Checking around, I realised that I was still wearing the servant's uniform.

I coughed. "Err, you mind stepping outside for a second? I need to change."

Li/Lo nodded, and glided out. Once I had my privacy, I changed into the standard uniform that I wore whenever the Bitch called for me. Just a standard palace servant's garb. Nothing unusual about it, except for the addition of a rice hat. And the fact that it had about ten hidden pockets and sheaths. I filled these, and picked up my broom.

Sweeper. I had come up with the codename, in a fit of atrophied creativity, and for some reason the Bitch had liked it. It had come from the design of my main weapon, which was disguised as a broom.

Aforementioned broom over my shoulder, I stepped out into the bare corridor. Lilo nodded at me, and walked off. I followed.

--

She lead me to the docks, where we boarded a light class warship. The Fire Nation boats are pretty impressive, it's true, but there's no _artistry_ to them. They're big and intimidating, but it's like their builders took no _pride_ in their work. I guess that's pretty accurate, since they're mass-produced. And besides, there are a whole bunch of flaws in the design- like the whole hinge-gangplank thing. Sure, it _looks _intimidating, when the whole front of the ship just drops forwards, but it gives a massive weak point to the hull. Hinges are always weak points. Someone should slap the guy who designed that.

Anyway, Lola directed me to a cabin near the cell block (gee, it's nice to know I'm appreciated around here) that was a lot larger than my room back in the palace. I supposed it was because I'd have to practice in here, so that meant the crew didn't know about me. This would be fun. Most of the people who knew who I was treated me with at least a little respect, but the crew wouldn't. They'd just assume I was some servant or other, and I wouldn't be allowed to correct them.

"So, what's the deal?" I asked.

"You'll find out soon enough," Lolita replied.

"Eh, alright. I was itching for a holiday, anyway."

Liam said nothing, but smirked in a not-very-nice way, and left me to unpack.

_**--**_

**Don't lynch me for putting up another story before finishing anything else. I have a good reason.**

**This...I have my doubts about this one. The way I have it all mapped out, it could either be the best thing I have written to date, or a great big steaming pile of pretentiousness and shit. Either way, it's not going to be finished for a while. The reason I've put this first chapter is to see if people actually want to see more of it. If I continue, it will represent a lot of effort and time, and if no one wants to read it... well.**

**So let me know, okay?**


	2. Shipping

**Chapter Two: Shipping.**

The Assassin.

It takes us three days to cross the channel. I don't exactly do much in that time, just practice in my room, eat with the 'other' domestic staff, and sweep the decks whenever I needed some fresh air.

I'll admit, it _is_ a pretty impressive boat. Gold decoration and everything. And it's a pretty fast machine too.

Its design was different to the huge troop carriers in the Fire Navy. It didn't have the Stupid Hinge, for one thing, and it was longer. I'm not entirely sure why. There was also this whole pagoda arrangement at the stern, which was just decadent. I mean, a _house_ on a boat? What the hell?

Anyway, on the morning of the third day, Princess Bitchy decided to give us all a motivational speech. She got all the soldiers to line up, with all the non-combatants down at the end. She popped out of her litter, and began to speak.

"My brother and my Uncle have disgraced the Fire Lord and brought shame on all of us. You may have mixed feelings about attacking members of the Royal family; I understand."

..._Sure _you do.

"But if you hesitate, _I_ will _not_ hesitate to bring you down."

Ah, now _there's_ the Azula I know.

"Dismissed."

With that, everyone all but ran back to their stations, and I was no exception. After all, no one wanted to be alone with Azula, just in case she was in a bad mood.

As I made my way back towards the pagoda, I passed the Captain, running towards the Princess. As he started to speak, I couldn't help but listen.

"Princess, I'm afraid the tides will not allow us to bring the ship into port before nightfall."

I was pleased with that. It meant one more guaranteed evening of sleep. But then Azula started talking.

"I'm sorry, Captain, but..."

Okay. Whenever Azula starts talking in her 'nice girl' voice, it's because she's saving up all her nasty for later. I'd heard enough, and hurried below deck.

It was no great surprise to me when we attempted to pull into port late that afternoon. We failed, of course (Forces of Nature: 1, Princess 'Bitch' Azula: Nil) but it was fun to watch them try.

--

That evening, I was looking out of my porthole, examining the landscape (it looked like we were near some kind of Earth Kingdom holiday resort, of all things) when I was distracted by a flash of lightning. It was coming from deck.

Ah, Azula was working off some frustration.

--

The next day was pretty quiet. We pulled into land as soon as the tides would allow it, and Azula went ashore by herself. None of this really affected me, since all I did was practice, eat at the appropriate times, and sweep the deck. The most interesting thing that happened was that one of the officers decided it might be entertaining to throw a few pithy racial slurs my way, but before he'd gotten into the swing of it, the Captain showed up and quietly stopped him.

I think the Captain might know about me. Hmm.

The only interesting point was late in the evening. As I was getting ready to sleep, I heard a knock on the door.

"I'm dressed."

And who would walk in other than Luigi herself?

"Princess Azula demands your presence, Sweeper."

"Alright," I sighed. Talk about inconvenient timing.

I was lead to the upper levels of the ship, to a cabin which was nicer than mine in every conceivable way. Of course, it was the temporary home of Princess Bitchy, who was lounging in a chair by a desk.

As was required, I bowed, as unenthusiastically as I dared.

"Princess."

She looked up, and nodded, acknowledging my presence.

"My uncle and brother will be coming with us tomorrow."

I remained silent. She had a point, and my talking would just delay her getting to it.

"I would like you to be on deck when they board."

I raised an eyebrow. "Anticipating...complications?"

She smirked. "When Iroh is involved, you have to plan for everything to go against you. But that's beside the point. I just want you to... observe."

Okay. This wasn't exactly normal.

"To what end, exactly?"

She looked at me blankly.

Oh. Right. Of course.

"So you think this will come to blows?"

Azula looked thoughtful. "If it were just Iroh, probably not. But knowing my brother, he'll whine and gripe and probably attack someone. Zuzu's like that."

Must...not...laugh.

But seriously, 'Zuzu'?

"Okay," I said, retaining my composure. "Observe Iroh and Zu...ko. Got it."

Azula nodded. "I'll want a report later."

Oh joy.

"In writing?"

Paperwork has always been an anathema to our Pretty Little Princess.

"Of course not." she stood, indicating that this discussion was over. "I look forward to your observations tomorrow."

--

"Brother! Uncle! Welcome. I'm so glad you decided to come."

I'm in the shadow of the pagoda. From my raised point of view, I can see over the lip of the ship, see the ranks of firebenders closing _very unsubtly_ behind the mismatched duo that were apparently the target of this little excursion as the Princess bows.

Frankly, I'm not entirely sure why Azula wanted me here.

"Are we ready to depart, your Highness?"

I mean, not that I don't appreciate the change of scenery, but I hardly seem necessary.

"Set our course for home, Captain"

A pair of ostrich-horses could trap this duo, it seems.

"You heard the Princess! We're taking the prisoners hom-"

...Unless someone does something really _fucking stupid_, that is.

I slapped myself on the forehead.

"...Your Highness, I-"

A splash cut the Captain's platitudes short. I stood on the tips of my toes, and just managed to see several armoured figures on the gangplank. The old general guy was flinging them into the sea. That in itself wasn't _entirely_ unexpected- after all, you don't get a pretentious epithet like "Dragon of the West" without being more than halfway competent- but what was odd was the way he was fighting. He _certainly_ wasn't using any firebending stance I'd ever heard of.

A sharp cry of "You _lied_ to me!" distracted me, and I looked around to see if I could find its source.

"Like I've never done _that_ before." Ah, it must be the infamous Prince Zuzu.

I have to admit, Azula does kind of have a point. Surely he must have at least a _vague_ idea of what she's like, right?

Anyway, Zuzu the Prince leapt up onto the ship proper, and took out a pair of firebenders (ostensibly Azula's bodyguards, really just there to provide extra targets) with one ostentatious move. He then did something I had heard about, but never actually seen. He created fire in his hands, and shaped it until he appeared to be wielding daggers.

...Neat.

"Zuko! Let's go!" wafted over from the jetty, but this sensible idea was completely ignored by Zuzu, who charged towards his sister with reckless abandon.

It quickly became obvious that, while he knew what he was doing, he was utterly outclassed. It was clear that he was used to wielding two blades, odd for a bender, but he hadn't grasped the intricacies of his stance. He was unused to using blades that weighed literally nothing, and so his power was all messed up, something Azula was quick to exploit.

"You know, father blames uncle for the loss of the North Pole, and he considers _you_ a miserable failure for not finding the Avatar."

I wondered about that. Was it some cruel practical joke Ozai was playing on his son, sending him to find a figure no one had seen for a hundred years? Perhaps there's some rule that members of the Royal family can't be banished, so Ozai had to make up some excuse that the people would accept, or something?

"Why would he want _you_ back home, except to lock you up where you can no longer embarrass him?"

...And I thought Zuzu had been mad _before_. Of course, his anger meant that any strategy he may have had was completely out of the window, and it was only a matter of time-

Yep. There it was. Azula started firebending. Annnd, now she's about to channel lightning. Goodbye Zuzu, we hardly knew ya.

...

...Wait, what just happened?

Okay, one second Zuko looks like he's about to enter the Twitching Corpse of the Year contest, the next the old general guy leaps up out of nowhere and sends Azula's precious lightning careering into a cliff.

And now he's kicked her overboard...

I laugh. I admit, the sight of my boss getting her pert little ass kicked by some fat old guy is pretty funny.

As soon as I get a grip on myself, I look up. Zuko and Iroh are long gone, and I walk over to the side of the ship.

Every single firebender is out of commission. And these aren't just _any_ firebenders. These are the _royal guard_.

I am suddenly very glad I have never crossed swords with General Iroh.

--

"So, what did you observe?"

It's the evening of that day, and I'm back in Azula's quarters, and she's looking at me, dry as a bone, trying to be all businesslike and intimidating, except it's sort of undermined by the fact that I have now seen that she isn't a match for a fat old man.

...Okay, maybe I'm not giving the old general enough credit. After all, Azula can still kick _my_ ass.

That was a while ago, though.

Anyway, back on topic.

"May I speak plainly?" I asked. She nodded, and I continued.

"Your brother is an idiot."

Yep, she definitely smirked at that.

"He's a good firebender, but he gets angry easily, and he's about as easily lead as a turtleduck by a trail of breadcrumbs. He's a competent swordsman, but when it comes to his bending, he's too eager to show off some new tricks he's learned at inappropriate times, like today he was doing the whole knife thing. You could see that he'd just learned how to do that recently. Maybe he was hoping you wouldn't expect it, or something, but it was still a kind of stupid idea."

Azula nodded, apparently pleased with what I had seen.

"Iroh, however, is pretty much the opposite. I mean, I've heard of him, heard T... people tell stories about him, and... I can't make him match up."

Azula looked up. "Elaborate."

"Well, I mean there are all these stories, and they pretty much give the image of a funny old man, who spends his days messing with people's heads and harmlessly flirting with the maids. And then you see the man take down over twenty of the royal guard... it's hard to reconcile."

Azula said nothing, apparently deep in thought, staring a hole in the air.

"Dismissed."

Well, you're welcome.

I said nothing, and bowed out.

_**--**_

**Well, here's chapter two. Not too sure about this one, but I think it's better than chapter one, at least.**

**In the intervening days, I have figured out what makes me so uneasy about this story: there are so many ways it could go wrong.**

**You know those plots that come to you sometimes, usually when you're doing something else? Those ones that sound really, really cool, but there's a bit of your brain going 'this is just fanwanking, it's bollocks'? Well, this is one of those that got out of hand.**

**Just for the record, this came to me while I was doing the washing up.**


	3. Ennui

**Chapter Three: Ennui.**

The Assassin

Ty Lee.

I haven't seen her in almost two years.

She's changed, in some ways. In some ways she hasn't.

She still smiles at every opportunity, for example.

But she has breasts now.

Change. You gotta love it.

--

The day after Zuko and Iroh's dramatic exit into the wilderness, we abruptly weighed anchor and sailed down the coast, deeper into Fire Nation territory. There, Azula left, alone. Actually alone, as opposed to The Royal Alone, which meant, essentially "Oh, It's just me. Oh those people? They're not _people_, they're my _retinue_. You know, bodyguards, servants, food taster, spare food taster, chefs, that sort of thing". It was just her and a komodo-rhino.

She returned early the next morning. She wasn't alone.

Out of all the people I have had the dubious honour of meeting since my arrival in the Fire Nation, Ty Lee is the only one I could consider a friend with total honesty.

Yes. A _friend_. Got that? Just 'cause it's Ty Lee and I happen to be a guy, doesn't mean that there was anything going on.

We met soon after I came into the service of Azula (remind me to tell you about that sometime). She quickly became interested in me; I don't know why. Perhaps she was intrigued by dangerous guys.

(Incidentally, I love that word. 'Dangerous'. It's got a much nicer ring to it than 'murderer'.)

As for me, well, it took a while to adjust to the vision in pink that seemed to hang around at every opportunity, as well as figure out that she flirted with every guy she came in contact with, so anything of that nature that she said to me could be safely ignored, but after that, I genuinely enjoyed her company. She was cheerful, but not stupidly so. She didn't ignore any of the crap life had thrown her way, she just... accepted it, and was happy in spite of it.

I envied her that.

And then one day she just left. Ran away to join the circus, or so the rumour was. Didn't even say goodbye.

That stung, more than I had expected it to.

And now she's back.

But still, glad as I am to see her, I have to wonder.

Why is she here?

--

It was early evening. Ty Lee was doing her painful looking exercises on deck, near the prow, and I was sweeping nearby.

I guess now is as good a time as any.

"So... how come you left the circus?"

She frowned, as far as I could tell. Reading expressions is harder when the face is upside down.

"Azula wanted me to come with her and help."

There was more, but she wouldn't say it. I was pretty sure she didn't need to.

"And what Azula wants, Azula gets, right?"

She nodded, and I could tell she was answering my unspoken question. It showed in her grey eyes, now that they were the right way up again.

I should have kept asking. Information is the lifeblood of anyone connected to the Princess, and everything is important. But I didn't.

"So, how was it?"

"Huh?" She stopped, mid exercise, with her knee practically touching her forehead. I deliberately kept sweeping.

"The circus. What was it like?"

"Oh!" She started moving again, flopping to the ground and then twisting until she was wearing her feet as a hat. "It was wonderful!"

She talked for a long time, telling me about all the exotic animals the circus had boasted (they had even claimed to have a flying bison, although, on reflection, it was probably just an albino moose-lion, apparently), and the stable-boy who was apparently cute (Spirits know why she decided I needed to know that) and the ringmaster who wore the _funniest_ robes, and that was before she even got to the clowns, or the trick firebenders, who could make dragons dance, or the man who could swallow swords, or the hundred other marvels.

She talked, and I swept, for a long time, the only two on deck, until long after the sun had dropped below the horizon.

--

The Guardian.

There are words to adequately describe how much I loathe and despise Omashu. However, most of them are reserved for extremely impolite company, and as such I have no business knowing them. The fact that I _do _know them is beside the point.

As far as I can tell, the sole source of entertainment in this anthill is telling and retelling the story of Oma and Shu. Over the course of a month, I have heard the story of Oma and Shu at least one hundred times. Their walls are covered in paintings of the two insipid lovers, and everywhere you turn there seems to be an expert on Earth Kingdom lore who would love to tell you some interesting stories, just so long as they're about Oma and Shu.

Okay. I get it. You named your stupid city after a pair of pathetic Earthbenders, who, having been given the power to reshape the Earth itself, decided that the best way to use this would be to create a bunch of tunnels in a mountain to hide in, as opposed to, I don't know, actually stopping the war that was the root of all their problems? Idiots.

And don't get me started on the _song_.

Perhaps this is all an intricate plot to drive every Fire Nation occupier completely mad. I wouldn't put it past Bumi.

--

So Mom decided it was a nice night for a walk, and of course she dragged me along. I figured that now was as good a time as any to start griping in earnest. Not that I expected her to listen to me, of course- why change the habit of a lifetime?- but I thought I might as well spread the misery.

"There really is no fathoming the depths of my hatred for this place."

Mom just smiled her stupid, smug smile.

"Mai, your father was appointed Governor. We're like royalty here; be happy, and enjoy it."

Wow, Mom, did you even _listen _to what I said? Besides, you think that if you just _tell_ me to enjoy it, then I just will?

Okay. I'll try to make it simple for you, Mom.

"I thought my life was boring in the Fire Nation, but this place is unbearably bleak. Nothing _ever_ happens."

Of course, the Spirits decided to prove me wrong, as suddenly something exploded on the ring above.

"The resistance!"

At Mom's melodramatic yell, our escort started climbing up the ladders towards whoever was up there, and motioned for Mom and me to stay down.

Oh no you don't. The first interesting thing to happen since I arrived, and you want me to stay _out_ of it? Not a chance.

Things only looked better when the two guards were lashed down by a plume of water. A waterbender? Here?

Anyway, to paraphrase, I threw darts, the waterbender blocked them, they ran, I threw darts, then the short kid with the stick proved interesting by knocking down a significant portion of the scaffold right on top of me. Or it would have been, if I hadn't avoided it.

Then, just as things were getting interesting, they vanished down a hole.

Oh well. Back to boredom.

--

"Secret tunnel, secret tunnel, hmm hmm and die hmm secret secret secret secret tunnel..."

I winced as I passed a servant humming that _stupid_ song. That _had_ to be Bumi's work. He was probably ordering the servants to sing it in the presence of Fire Nation-ers.

I mean, _no one_ could actually _like_ that song.

Anyway, I was heading back from the kitchen, where I had somehow found a bowl of fire flakes (proper ones, too. Agni knows how these mud people got hold of them), when one of the guards rushed past me, obviously in a state of agitation.

I followed him. You never know, it might be interesting.

--

...That is a _lot_ of sick people.

"What is going on down there?"

Come on, Dad. Take a guess. Go _wild_.

"I saw some kids yesterday who were sick with pentapox- it must have spread," the guard supplied.

"Pentapox? ...I'm pretty sure I've heard of that."

Well, that makes one of us.

"Oh, this is terrible!" Mom always had a flair for the overdramatic.

"What should we do?"

Dad, after a moment of thought, hit upon a brilliant plan.

"Drive them out of the city! But don't touch them! We have to rid the city of this disease!"

Well, I guess this is preferable to what I'd normally be doing right now, which is Not Much. I thought that this called for a small celebration.

"Fire flakes, Dad?"

Dad didn't look appreciative, and Mom threw herself into his arms.

"Oh how awful!"

...What? What's wrong with fire flakes?

--

I'd decided to turn in for an early night, for once, and was nicely drowsy, when my door exploded inwards, and Dad burst into the room.

Only my sleepiness saved him, as I had reflexively grabbed a knife from my bedside and thrown it at his head before I could register who it was, but in my sleep addled state it turned out I had grabbed a comb instead.

...You thought I was going to say 'I missed', didn't you? You didn't? _Good_.

"Mai, come quickly!"

Uh oh. He didn't mention the comb. This must be serious.

"What? What is it?"

"Tom-Tom's missing."

Oh great.

--

So we're out on the balcony (I don't really know why, I think Dad just has a thing for balconies; maybe he thinks that it makes him more ruler-y) and Dad's ranting up a storm about how Tom-Tom has been captured by the resistance.

"So, the resistance has captured my son! Everything's so clever, so _tricky, _just like their King Bumi!"

I talked to Bumi one time, when I was trying to get the truth out of him about that song. All he did was give me the whole Fire Nation Are Evil Baby-Eaters speech that probably came from the Earth Kingdom Propaganda for Idiots, then inquired as to my health and offered me a rock candy (well, he told me where some could be found, anyway). It was quite good rock candy, too. Anyway, in short, the man is a loon. I don't think he's capable of manipulating anything, especially from a box ten feet in the air.

I think Dad may be overreacting. But I can't blame him, really. After all, the child they actually _wanted_ has vanished- ugh, now I sound bitter.

Okay. Maybe I _am_ bitter. Just a little.

I left them when they decided that King Bumi would be an acceptable trade for Tom-Tom, and fairly stormed back to my room.

Okay. No lying to myself. That's beyond low.

I'm jealous. I'm jealous of my two year old brother. Wow, Mai, you may be thinking, that's hardly abnormal, you know.

Maybe, but it's hardly unjustified. All my life, my parents have treated me like... well, it's like they took a gamble on me being male and lost. So, to compensate, they decided that I had to be the perfect society girl- polite, quiet, unobtrusive. And I am all those things. Except polite, but I'm extra quiet in polite society to make up for it. And they still resent me. And I'm pretty sure that if I ever went missing, they wouldn't give up their ace in the hole just to rescue me.

That's alright, though. I resent them, too. And I've made sure I never need to be rescued.

--

The morning was full of surprising developments.

"_Please _tell me you're here to kill me." Azula. How nice to see you.

We both chuckled, and Azula stepped forward, her voice surprisingly warm.

"It's great to see you, Mai."

I was about to ask what Azula was doing here when I was assaulted by a pink blur.

Ty Lee. I'd noticed her on the way in (it's hard to miss her) and her presence was... unexpected.

"I thought you ran off and joined the circus? You said it was your calling," I asked, while awkwardly returning her hug.

She broke off, and her answer was just what I had anticipated. But that didn't mean I wanted it.

"Well...Azula called a little louder."

Her voice was sincere, but there was something in her eyes...

I glanced at Azula, who was smirking. My face betrayed nothing.

"I have a mission, and I need you both."

"Count me in." I answered without a pause. Despite what people may think, there is a (very) small group of people I consider worth a damn. My family, for all their faults, are three of those people. Ty Lee is another. Leaving her alone with Azula... would do her no good.

"Anything to get me out of this place."

I also hate Omashu.

--

One of the most fascinatingly unpleasant things to watch in the whole world is the sight of your parents grovelling at the feet of your childhood friend.

"I apologise, your Highness. You've come to Omashu at a difficult time. At noon, we're making a trade with the resistance to get Tom-Tom back."

Azula nodded. "Yes, I'm so sorry to hear about your son; but really, what did you expect by just letting all the people _leave_?" Azula's voice turned nasty, and she stood up. "My father entrusted you with this city, and you're making a mess of things."

Dad looked desperately at me. What do you want from me, Dad? You need to be told this, and you weren't going to listen to me.

"Forgive me, Princess."

Azula didn't seem impressed. "You stay here." I had expected something like this. "Mai will handle the hostage trade, so _you_ don't have a chance to screw it up."

...Wait, what?

I shoot a glance at her back as I stand up. What's your game, Azula?

"And there _is_ no more 'Omashu'; I am renaming it"

Oh thank Agni

"in honour of my father. The City of New Ozai!"

Wow. What an imagination you have. A true flair for names.

--

The trade was to take place at the foot of the enormous statue of the Fire Lord- still incomplete.

I was flanked by Azula and Ty Lee, while the delegates from the resistance were indistinct blobs at the other end. The mad king in his steel box was lowered down behind us. All in all, it was fairly impressive.

"Hi everybody!"

Of course, there's always someone who has to spoil it for everybody. Alright, let's get this farce under way.

"You brought my brother?"

"He's here," a voice called, and I couldn't help but notice how _young_ he sounded. "We're ready to trade."

"I'm sorry, but a thought just occurred to me- do you mind?"

Azula. I can't say I'm surprised. In fact, I've been waiting for something like this.

"Of _course_ not, Princess Azula," I simper, the use of her full title letting her know I know what she's about to say.

"We're trading a two year old for a _king_. A powerful earthbending King." She glanced upwards, as if for confirmation, and Bumi nodded gormlessly. "It just doesn't seem like a fair trade, does it?"

Ahh, so _this_ is why you put me in charge of this. This is a test.

I stared at the blobs in the distance, and my impression of youth was confirmed. They were just kids. Tom-Tom would be safe enough with them for the next few seconds. We can keep Bumi, but that's not the point. The point is, Azula wants to test my loyalty to her.

Joke's on her, I'm afraid. If these characters looked a little more serious, looked as if they were actually capable of bringing harm to Tom-Tom... I'm not sure what I'd do. Not what I'm about to, certainly. But in this situation, the odds are stacked in my favour.

"...You're right. The deal's off."

I motion with my hand, and Bumi is carted skywards.

"Whoa! See you all later!"

Like I said. A loon.

"Bumi!"

The short boy rushed forward, faster than should be humanly possible, and leapt, avoiding a plume of blue flame.

Azula. You're flinging superheated death around near my brother. Please stop it.

Luckily for Tom-Tom's immediate future, the kid was proving a source of great interest to Azula. As he leapt, his staff unfolded into some kind of glider, and the wind responded to him.

Azula's eyes widened. "The Avatar... my lucky day."

She leapt upwards, leaving me to participate in the dullest fight I have ever had the displeasure of participating in. The only noteworthy points were the look on the waterbender's face after Ty Lee blocked out her bending (I'll admit, I sneered. I couldn't help it- benders just get on my nerves a lot of the time, with their smug holier-than-thou attitude) and the fact that we were defeated by a giant fluffy monster.

Oh, and the fact that Azula came back up the mail chute after everything was over, riding Bumi's box _uphill_. It turned out that the lunatic could earthbend with his _face_. Why he elected to remain in captivity is beyond me. Perhaps we gave him better food, or something.

--

**Well, this chapter goes out to tege and Bluetiger, since last chapter both expressed a hope that I wouldn't be too tied to canon episodes, and this is nothing more than an episode transcript.**

**Irony. It is delicious.**


	4. Briefing

**Chapter Four: Briefing.**

The Assassin.

Well. It seems like I have a lot to think about.

Good thing I've got some alone time. My mind always works best on the move anyway.

--

It was the evening that Azula and Ty Lee had returned, with the third member of their little troupe in tow. Azula had decided to make use of me after all.

"You know, after we talked, I realised something about myself."

I raised an interested eyebrow. Azula nodded.

"I realised that I had been somewhat arrogant in my assessment of my Uncle. As much as it pains me to admit it, my first impression of him may have been somewhat erroneous. As such, I have had to accommodate my plans to account for his meddling."

Uh oh. I think I see where this is going...

"In addition, new targets have come to light. They're not part of our initial objective, but I am not one to spurn opportunity. Therefore, you have three targets.

"The first two are Uncle Iroh and Zuko."

I was surprised, and it must have shown. Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't we trying to _capture _those bozos?

"I know the plan was initially to capture them, but in light of recent developments, I fear that that is impossible."

I nodded, slowly. "And the other?" It seemed that I had unwittingly given myself a lot more work.

"The other target is any bender in the Avatar's party."

"_What?_" I'd heard that the Avatar was back, of course- the news of the battle at the North Pole had been impossible to suppress- but this was completely unexpected.

"It's a difficult task, I understand. Made more so, I'm afraid, by the fact that the Avatar himself must _not_ be harmed. But he is accompanied by a master Waterbender, who is presumably instructing him, and he will be looking for an Earthbending teacher soon. Eliminating them keeps him weak, so it is in everyone's interests to deal with them first."

I coughed. "With all due respect"- a handy phrase- "how, exactly, do you expect me to accomplish this?"

Azula has no problem with me asking questions, as long as she can see the point of me knowing the answer.

The point for _her_, that is. Don't be stupid.

Azula sat back in my chair. "I don't deny that this will be difficult. Therefore, you are given total operational freedom. You may use any method you deem appropriate, and you are under no time constraints. Here," she handed me a small leather pouch, incredibly heavy for its size "is five hundred gold pieces, in mixed denominations. This is yours, and I do not require you to explain how and where you use it."

My head was reeling from this influx of information, but Azula wasn't finished yet.

"However, there are several special considerations for this mission. Firstly, you are _not_ to rely on any Fire Nation forces. You may come into contact with either myself, a member of my team, or another Fire Nation agent during your mission. You are _not_ to make any kind of contact, do you understand?"

"Yes Princess."

"Good. Similarly, you are not to send any messages other than news of ultimate success in your mission. No status reports. Sweeper, I need to be sure you understand this." She actually looked me in the eyes, and there was something there I couldn't quite understand. It was creepy as hell, without any actual malice behind it.

"There are two teams, each with the same overall objectives. The first consists of Mai, Ty Lee and myself. The other is you. We will not collaborate. We are not relying on you, you are not relying on us. Is that clear?"

I bowed. "Crystal."

"Excellent." And there was the look again, but now I recognised it. Pride. She was _proud _of me, in the way you might be proud of the way you've taught your owl-parrot to swear.

"I will leave in the morning."

She shook her head. "No. You'll leave tonight."

"...Alright; just give me an hour to pack." I bowed low, and walked towards the door.

"Oh, Sweeper?" I turned back, to see Azula looking... almost human, actually.

"Yes, Princess?"

She nodded. "Good hunting."

--

The Guardian.

It was through carefully timed coincidence that I was in the prime position to eavesdrop on Azula talking to her pet hitman, and I was _not_ pleased with what I learned. I sat in my room, and reviewed the situation.

I believe I mentioned earlier the list of People I Consider Worth the Air They Breathe (its official title). The list has five names on it, and the fifth is Zuko.

Don't ask me why. There will be time enough to try and puzzle _that_ one out later. Suffice to say, he is on it, and I have just acquired information that could well be used to prevent his untimely demise, under the right circumstances. I was obliged to take action.

Ugh. Need to get my mind straight. Okay. Review the situation.

The major players in this little conflict of interests.

Number one: the assassin, generally known as the Sweeper.

Number two: Azula, the employer of the aforementioned.

Number three: Prince Zuko, the target.

Number four: Iroh. ...Let's leave him out of this. It's complex enough already.

Number five: Myself.

Okay, four people, dividing nicely into two equal sides. Of course, if you factor in the fact that Zuko doesn't know about any of this, and that Azula considers me on her side, things get a whole lot less nice.

Azula's objective: Kill Zuko. She will accomplish this by setting her underhanded peasant on him, which may or may not succeed.

My main objective: Stop Zuko getting killed. Also, avoid self getting killed. To accomplish this, Azula must _never_ find out about whatever it is that I intend to do.

The simplest way to stop Zuko getting killed is to stop the Sweeper. There are several ways to go about this. I could kill him as soon as he leaves camp, but to get his body far away enough that it won't be found and still get back and sleep before daybreak is... needlessly tricky. Besides, I have no idea how good he is.

Okay, option two is try to talk him out of this.

Right. What do I know about him? Well, Ty Lee was always harping on about how smart and funny and cute and blah blah blah he is, but that was before she left, so her information may well be out of date, and besides, she views everyone and everything through a pink gauze.

Okay, focus on the bare facts. On the few occasions we have met, he has seemed disaffected, listless and sarcastic. Perhaps indicating unhappiness with his lot? It's not inconceivable that Azula has something on him.

He is at least moderately intelligent. The fact that he isn't dead yet is evidence enough of that. Therefore, he _must_ have realised the nature of this mission he has been given. He has been set upon General Iroh and at least one master bender, who will be accompanied by the Avatar. He's going to die. _No _one is _that_ good. Yet he still continues. I have already established that undying loyalty to Azula is unlikely in the extreme, so it must be something else. See also the huge amount of trust Azula is placing in him, combined with the conspicuous lack of threats in her speech.

Whatever. I can't affect that without knowing more.

Okay. I can't figure out this puzzle with the information I have, so the only option I have is to try to talk him out of this, ad libbing.

Ugh. I may be many wonderful things, but persuasive is not one of them.

--

The Assassin.

Okay, time to try out my new threads.

My earth peasant garb looks like a standard thing, in varying shades of green and brown, complete with the ubiquitous rice hat. Mine differs from the norm, however, since mine is essentially lined with scale armour- something I came up with. It takes a leather garment, and covers it in close-fitting discs of steel, that lock together like the scales of a fish. My entire torso and upper legs are protected by this, and it's completely invisible under my clothes.

From my belt hang a selection of my favourite poisons, as well as my heavy money pouch, I have a travel knapsack, containing enough food to last until at least the next town, a selection of maps, the name of the town the Avatar was last seen at (a place called Chin), and a bunch of smoke bombs, just for kicks. I have on my person my five best knives as well as my sets of bolas and my signature broom. I've removed the bristles, though, so it looks just like a walking stick.

Alright. Let's get this show on the road.

But there's time to say goodbye first.

--

The Guardian.

I waited until an hour after he had left, then set off after him. His trail was easy to follow, and I caught up to him quickly- more quickly than I had expected. Apparently his sense of urgency is severely stunted.

It had started raining, and this, combined with the darkness of the forest and the fact that he was singing to himself, meant I had a fairly good chance of getting the drop on him.

The Assassin.

"Oh, it's a long, long way to Ba Sing Se, but something something something" I'm being followed. What fun. "something something girls are so pretty!"

I sang louder, and slipped a throwing knife into my hand.

Your move, mysterious person.

The Guardian.

Hmm. It seemed that I had underestimated this boy. He had picked up his singing, in an attempt to distract from the subtle shift in stance and flash of silver that denoted a knife dropping into his left hand from his sleeve. Alright, so much for that idea.

I stepped out from behind a tree about ten feet behind him, and announced my presence.

"Hello, Sweeper."

One thing I couldn't fault was his reaction times. As soon as I had opened my mouth, he span around, knife at the ready. Before I had closed it again, he dropped the knife. A positive start, perhaps?

"Mai."

The Assassin.

When I saw who had followed me, I dropped the knife. It wouldn't do me any good, not at this distance. I count myself as "pretty good" when it comes to throwing weapons. Above "pretty good", is "great", above that is "fantastic", above that is "phenomenal", and above them all is "Mai". With this much distance between us, my ability to pose a threat to her is almost non-existent.

"Mai."

Now, let's get one thing clear: I do not like Mai. At all. In short, she's creepy. In long, I can't get a fix on her.

Most people I know I can understand. Ty Lee I get. Azula I get. Mai I do not get. She's too controlled, too unpredictable. Ty and Azula both have little tics that give them away at least some of the time. Mai doesn't, at least none that I can read. I can't anticipate her, and that means I'm going to have to react to her, something that I'm pretty uncomfortable with. I don't like giving away the initiative.

"Can I... help you?"

The Guardian.

I breathe in, trying to direct my thoughts.

"Sweeper. I have a...proposition."

Even in the dark I could read his raised eyebrow.

"Well, I'm flattered, but I'm on the job right now."

What? ...Oh. Ha ha. I glared at him.

"Sweeper, listen to me."

He shrugged. "Okay, but make it quick, okay? I'm getting damp here."

I walked a little closer.

"I know what Azula wants you to do, Sweeper."

"Oh? And how would you? I doubt the Princess goes around telling people things that she thinks they don't need to know."

Well, I can't fault his understanding of Azula.

"That's not important." I wish he would stop _smirking_. It's incredibly irritating. "What is important is the fact that one of your targets is someone I want alive."

His face turned serious. "You want me to spare Zuko."

That was quick. Uncomfortably so.

"What makes you say that?" I try, stalling for time.

He snorted. "_Please. _I can't shut Ty up about you two. She thinks it's unbearably sweet."

...Oh.

The Assassin.

Wait a second. Is Mai..._blushing_?

I think she is. Wow. I guess she's a human being after all.

"Why should I?"

She looked at me oddly.

"Why shouldn't you? You've been given a large amount of money, and a _lot_ of freedom. You obviously aren't particularly loyal to Azula. Why stay?"

It's a good question, and I've been asked it before. Once. I'll give the same answer.

"Filial piety."

Mai obviously hadn't expected that, but she remained inscrutable as ever.

"Tell me more."

Okay, it's story time, folks.

"When I was captured by the Fire Nation, I, along with my peers, was taken to one of the re-education camps. You know about them?" Mai nodded. "I was determined to cause as much trouble as I could. I escaped a total of three times before they decided I was too unresponsive to waste any more time on. One day a soldier grabbed me from my bunk in the middle of the night and started marching me off... somewhere. On the way, I grabbed the knife from his belt and stabbed him in the chest."

I try and see if my story is having an effect on my audience. Nothing.

"Anyway, I hid in the complex for three days, avoiding capture but not able to escape the building. Eventually, I was caught, and would have been executed, but a captain named Zhao intervened. The first thing I did was demand to know where my sister was. He said that she was a guest of the Fire Nation, and would be safe as long as I did what I was told."

The Guardian.

I see. He's looking out for family. Well, I guess I can relate to that.

"And have you seen your sister since you were captured?"

He shook his head slowly. But...he must have realised.

"You do know that it is _incredibly _unlikely that she's still alive, right?"

He stared at me, and there was something unpleasant in his startlingly blue eyes.

"I know. But it's not a gamble I'm prepared to make."

I silently marvel. He is prepared to go out and kill countless people for the _chance_ that it keeps his family safe. I understand, but...I don't think I could do the same. This boy is more complicated than I first thought.

"Okay, here's the deal." I push all extra thoughts aside, extracting only the relevant information. I can deal with them later. "If you promise to leave Zuko alone, I will do everything in my power to find news of your sister."

He freezes up. But then he turns contemplative.

"What about Azula?"

Yes, what about her?

"If I can convince her that it's still feasible to bring Zuko in alive, she will have no problem changing her plans. That was her original intention, and I think she would prefer it that way."

I hold my breath while I wait for an answer.

"...Alright."

He stepped forward, extending his hand, and we shook.

"After I have taken care of my other targets, I'll wait in Omashu. I assume you'll go back there at some point."

"New Ozai."

He looked perplexed.

"Huh?"

"Azula decided that the city needed to be renamed."

"'New Ozai', huh? Never figured the Princess for an ass-kisser."

Okay. I smirked at that one.

He hefted his stick over his shoulder, and turned to go.

"See you in New Ozai, then."

"Good luck, Sweeper."

He turned back to look at me, amused.

"Since we're being polite, I'd thank you to use my real name."

Oh. I knew it, of course. Ty Lee must have mentioned him a thousand times.

"Alright then. Good luck, Sokka."

**--**

**Dun dun duuuun! Wow, that must have surprised...absolutely nobody. Although I kind of wish it was Hahn. That would have been cool.**

**And updates are coming thick and fast. I don't expect it to last, but hey, at least I got an internal rhyme out of it.**


	5. Walking Dream

**Chapter Five: Walking Dream.**

The Assassin.

It took five days of straight walking to get to Chin, and when I got there it hardly seemed worth the effort. It looked like pretty much every Southern Earth Kingdom town, except for the fact that it looked like a bomb had hit it. And the bomb had been carried there by a tornado.

Five gold pieces bought me the direction in which the Avatar had left (Northwest) and how long ago it had been (seven days- messenger hawks are faster than me). One gold piece bought me enough food to last until we reached Gaoling. Another gold piece bought the greatest thing ever.

Blubbered seal jerky.

I suppose being this far south, there's bound to be some Water Tribe food on the market, but I haven't had seal jerky in seven years. I'm almost afraid to eat it, thinking it won't be as good as I remember.

Restocked, I wasted no time in leaving the town behind, and walked up the north road.

Three miles out, it occurred to me that they might have wanted to know about the platoon of Fire Nation soldiers that I had passed on the road.

Seven miles out, it occurred to me that I should have bought an ostrich-horse.

Twenty miles out, I stopped for the night. I didn't have the seal jerky.

--

The next day, the landscape changed. It happened slowly- the scrub land became wooded, then the woods got denser, and damper, but before I had really started paying attention the road I was on had become a path, flanked on both sides by marshland, and then the path vanished altogether.

Oh great.

I checked behind me. Swamp. In front of me. Swamp.

Oh well. My compass indicated that I was still heading the right way, and this place had to end some time. How bad could it be?

--

Sometimes, I hate the Universe. Hate hate hate.

A scream pierced the gathering gloom, and I span around.

Another of those _freaking_ birds. Great.

Okay, take stock. I'm in the middle of the most _irritating_ swamp in the entire world (and that's quite an exclusive title), it smells, so by association I smell, and I have no idea how much ground I have covered, and indeed I have no idea how far I have to go.

But, I have enough food to last me for about three weeks, as long as I'm frugal (please don't let it come to that), I'm heading in the right direction, and... and... at least I'm getting exercise in the fresh air.

Scratch fresh. This place reeks.

--

The Guardian.

We were headed five miles inland, to an engineers camp. Apparently they had something Azula wanted. As we walked, I decided that now would be as good a time as any to begin my investigations.

"So... who are we going after?" I asked, keeping my tone nonchalant.

"The Avatar," Azula replied.

"Oh. What are we going to do about Zuko?"

You see, Azula is actually fairly easy to lie to, under the right circumstances.

For all her manipulative abilities, she doesn't really _get_ people. Whenever she talks to someone she knows, it's like there's a little mental script she's written out, and as long a whoever it is acts according to that, she's happy. If it deviates, if someone acts other than what she expects, then she's completely thrown. She was never very good at thinking on her feet.

Take me, for example. What she knows of my character boils down to Mai is Bored, Mai is Quiet, and Mai Likes Zuko. I would really have preferred that last one not to be common knowledge, but it's impossible to keep things like that from Ty Lee. Now, as long as what I say around Azula conforms to those three precepts, I can lie like a particularly duplicitous weasel and she won't suspect a thing.

"Zuko's being taken care of," she smirked. I feigned slight surprise.

"Oh?"

Azula nodded. "The Sweeper was dispatched yesterday evening." And now Ty Lee is looking interested. She didn't know that.

"...I see."

Azula nodded, and there was that weird look in her eyes that appears whenever the Sweeper is mentioned. She... well, if she doesn't _like_ the Sweeper, she most definitely _approves_ of him. To her, he's dependable, and more importantly, single-faceted. He does what he's told. He's good at it. So Azula is pleased with him, and probably thinks all her little cronies should be more like him.

"And you think he'll pull it off?" I try to stay nonchalant, which is hard, given the subject matter.

Azula gave me a look telling me that she had noticed the slight quaver in my voice, but interpreted it as nothing more than me being affected by the thought of Zuko.

"You shouldn't underestimate him, Mai." Yes, she most definitely approves, as though he's a well trained dog- no, more like a well made sword. Yes, that analogy fits better.

"Hmm." I let the silence breathe for a few moments.

"I can't help but wonder, where did you find him?"

Azula gave me a strange look, and so did Ty Lee.

"It's just something that I thought about. There was literally nothing else to do in Omashu."

Azula nodded, satisfied, but Ty Lee wasn't so easily fooled.

"Well, it's not much of a story really. He showed up in my room one night with a knife."

.... I'm waiting for the punchline here. 'Is that a knife or are...oh. It is a knife.' perhaps.

Oh Agni. That's stirring up a whole load of disturbing mental images.

"After dealing with him"

Are you _trying_ to freak me out?

"I... persuaded... him to tell me who sent him."

Stop. Stop it _now_.

"He let slip that he was sent by a Commander, and there was only one of them with the right combination of arrogance and bull-headedness to try and remove _me_. Zhao."

This was just after Zuko's effective banishment. There had been rumblings in the court that, since both potential male heirs (Zuko and Iroh) had been removed, then whoever Ozai chose to be betrothed to Azula would essentially become the next Fire Lord. Obviously, Zhao was hoping that by removing Azula altogether, he could destabilise the entire Monarchy. Unfortunately for him, he clearly underestimated Azula.

"I went to Zhao, and cut a deal. I wouldn't mention his treasonous actions to Father, and he would give me the Sweeper."

There was the crux of the matter. "Why did you want him at all?"

"He managed to sneak in to the bedchamber of the Crown Princess without being detected. He lasted more than thirty seconds when I discovered him."

I thought I told you to stop it? My brain can't take much more of this.

"His talents were obvious, and besides, he has proved himself useful over the years."

By which you mean that anyone who has made any hints as to desire your hand in marriage finds themselves face-down in their dinner. Likewise anyone who suggests that there might be anything wrong with you, or that you might benefit from some kind of therapy. Wow. So useful.

"Well, that's fascinatingly... fascinating," I drawl and we lapse into silence. Ty Lee, however, is still looking at me oddly.

It had occurred to me that Ty Lee probably knew all that I have just been told, and I could have asked her. But then she would have wanted to know why I was so uncharacteristically inquisitive, and I might well have told her something, just so satisfy her curiosity, and then Azula would have found out, because Ty Lee _cannot_ lie to Azula, mostly due to the fact that the Princess intimidates her, and then everything would be shot to hell.

Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.

Well, look at that. I'm a poet.

--

The Assassin.

My head hurts. I think the swamp is releasing some kind of gas. Maybe from decomposing mushrooms or something.

Because I'm starting to see things.

It's nothing major, just something out of the corner of my eye every now and then, just a flash of blue.

Another scream. Don't turn around. It's just one of those birds. Just one of those birds.

Laughter? What, is there a Chuckling Frog now?

I spin around, and there's a man there.

My head _really_ hurts.

I know this man. His name jumps from my throat unbidden.

"Zhao."

No, of course it isn't Zhao. It's Azula.

Head hurts.

She's pointing her finger at me, and there's that flash of blue. On reflex I run towards her, drawing my short sword from my side, and leap.

She blasts lightning but it goes wide, and my blade finds her heart, up under her ribcage. Lots of blood. Benders forget that; how much people bleed when they die.

She falls to the ground noiselessly.

my head hurts

It isn't Azula at all. Azula would never wear blue.

Oh spirits no.

it hurts

I look up, look away from the ground, and there's light and a woman with white hair, and she looks...sad?

No. Disappointed.

it hurts

A giant in blue crashes through the trees, booming voice and mournful eyes. He looks at me, his braids dancing sedately in the wind. He points his spear down, until it almost touches my heart.

Do not do this thing, my Son. Do not. It will cost you more than you can pay.

Pay? I have money.

Pay n

Pain.

it hurts

My head is reeling, I'm staggering backwards, my foot catches on something, I fall into the swamp.

A crack on the back of my head.

Blackness.

**--**

**This chapter, she is short. I like it, though. This was initially a very important characterisation chapter. Then I covered everything in innuendo and substance abuse.**

**I have yet to decide whether that was remarkably clever or ridiculously juvenile.**


	6. Keep Moving

**Chapter Six: Keep Moving.**

The Assassin.

...

...

...Ugh...

...

--

The Guardian.

When we arrived at the engineers' camp, my first thought was that we had arrived at the scene of some horrible accident. It looked like one of our ships had somehow run aground upside down. I was, however, assured that it was a super-weapon of some description.

I think that the engineers just managed to run their ship aground upside down, thus destroying the actual super-weapon they had promised Azula, and just stuck the wheels and whatever weapons they had left onto their boat, and hoped that Azula wouldn't notice. But no, apparently this behemoth was actually some moving fortress.

"...I'm sorry, but weren't we trying to _capture _the Avatar? This thing seems more likely to just run him over." Come on, Azula. If you kill him, you'll have to hunt him down again when he's reborn into the Water Tribes, and you'll be thirty by then... and even more powerful than you are now, with more experience... and the Fire Nation will have conquered the world by this point, so there won't be a safe place for him to relearn bending... actually this sounds more sensible the more I think about it...

Azula shook her head, disrupting the train of thought that might well have spelled victory for the Fire Nation had I voiced it. Or it might have brought the wrath of the spirits down upon us. I don't know.

"We're not actually going to _attack_ him with this- it's actually going to the Front. But it's fast, and going in the right direction. We're just... hitching a lift." She gestured for me to follow.

So we're Royal hobos now? ...You know, after thinking about it, I quite like that image. Just keep Ty Lee away from the moonshine.

--

The Assassin.

"...ler. Hey, wake up, feller."

I woke to the feeling of being jabbed in the ribs. Almost on instinct, I leapt up, flailing blindly. Unfortunately, my leg somehow tangled itself in underwater weeds, and I fell face forwards into the swamp again.

Dragging myself up on my elbows, I found myself staring at a pair of hairy, lanky, mud-encrusted thighs. Not exactly my idea of a good time.

"Whoa! ...Looks like we got a wild 'un here." Glad at least _one_ of us is amused by this situation, Mr. Swamp Person.

I took a deep breath of the putrid air, and grabbed my stick, which had mercifully wedged in a tree root, and stayed for the most part out of the water, and used it to re-enter the world of the bipedal.

I must have been wobbling, because the strange man- a tall, lanky guy- held out an arm to steady me.

"Take it easy there, stranger."

I nodded my thanks, and patiently waited for the world to stop spinning. Before I had quite got the hang of standing upright, a voice from somewhere to my left spoke.

"Now, what'chu doin' all the way out here, stranger? Don't ye know that these parts 're dangerous?"

I turned (slowly; very very slowly) to see another filth-encrusted man, this one short and squat.

"'M lost."

"We kin _see_ that, stranger," the first man said. "What we's wonnerin' is how you got te _be_ lost in the firs' place."

"Wz goin' t' Gaolin'," I mumbled. Fortunately, the pair seemed to understand.

The shorter one nodded. "Well, goin' through this here swamp might be shorter, but it sure ain't quicker, iff'n you see what I'm gettin' at. Least, not on foot it ain't." He glanced at his companion, then continued. "But, I reckon that fer a price, me 'n my associate Due here can git ye through 'te the other side."

"Whaddya want? Gold?"

He shook his head, and I felt stupid. Why would a swamp dweller need gold?

"Steel. This here knife," he hefted a snapped blade, old and tarnished "broke 't other week, 'n you looks like you got enough to spare."

"Yeah. Sure. Okay." I fumbled about my person for a few moments, undoing the leather strap that held my dirk in its sheath, and handed it over. He drew it, and nodded appreciatively at the weapon. He then proceeded to dig some gunk out of his fingernails with it.

"Thank ye kindly, stranger. Now come this way."

The two men led me to a long, flat bottomed canoe, and directed me to sit in the middle. This I did, and watched with confused interest as the tall one stood at the front of the boat, and waved his arms in what looked like extremely painful ways. The effect was immediate, and I had to grab the side of the boat to prevent myself from falling off as the the canoe shot forwards through the swamp.

--

The Guardian.

We made our way into the steel monster, and Azula left us in a kind of recreation room, while she went off to scare the pilot or whatever it is she does to amuse herself. As soon as she was gone, Ty Lee gave me a sharp look. I chose to ignore it, sitting in one of the chairs designed more with the ease in which they could be stored in mind than their actual comfort. Idly, I drew a knife and started tossing it up and down slowly. On the third throw, I stopped watching it. On the fifth, it failed to come back down.

"Oh no you don't." I cracked an eyelid Ty Lee was standing above me, knife held between finger and thumb. "You're going to tell me why you're so interested in Sokka all of a sudden." She was scowling, in an attempt to make me take her seriously. She didn't have the right kind of face to pull off a scowl.

"I'm madly in love with him," I deadpanned. "I'm planning to steal him away from Azula and run away with him. We will live in a tree house and have seventeen children."

Ty Lee was not amused. "I'm serious, Mai."

I sighed. I supposed I did owe her some kind of explanation. Perhaps even the truth.

"It's complicated, Ty Lee. I'm not sure I should tell you."

Even as I said the words, I could tell that they came out wrong. Ty Lee's expression merely confirmed that. I shook my head, and tried to explain.

"What I mean is, it's got to be a secret. Azula can_not_ find out. And no offence, but your track record when it comes to keeping secrets from Azula is pretty poor."

Ty Lee sat cross legged on the floor. "Are you _still_ going on about that?"

"It's not just that" I snapped. It wasn't. Really.

Ty Lee just smirked. "You're just mad because I may have let slip that you have a crush on Zuko." I must have frowned, because she grinned at me. "Come on! It's _adorable_."

"Look, do you want to know or not?" I asked, before realising I had fallen right into Ty Lee's trap. Damn. Damn damn damn.

"Yes, please!" Ty Lee looked insufferably smug.

So I told her, before my common sense could kick in.

--

The Assassin.

I concentrated on the water rushing past the edge of the boat, trying to put everything else out of mind. Unfortunately, my brain doesn't work like that. I needed some answers.

"Hey," I looked at the swamp dweller sitting in the stern of the boat. "...Err, not sure how exactly to put this, but, have you ever... you know, seen things?"

He gave me an odd look. "Ah sees things all the time, stranger."

"No, I mean, have you ever seen things that weren't really there?" I had to know.

"Ah, I get ye. Well, it ain't happened to me in more than ten year, but folks who come to the swamp have been known te' see things, strange things. 'Cordin to Huu, this place got so much life the Spirits ken use it to talk to people whose hearts 'n heads is troubled. 'Course, ain't no way of tellin' if that's true or not. I find it best not to think about it."

I frowned. This wasn't what I had wanted to hear.

"You mentioned that you had seen something. Do you mind telling me about it?"

The man's face turned hard. "Now, some would say that's pryin', boy. Less' just say I wuz goin' through a rough patch. What I saw, 'n what it tol' me helped me fix my problems, and I ain't seen nothin' since."

"Thanks," I said slowly. "You've been very helpful."

I stared at the water for the rest of the journey.

--

The Guardian.

When I had finished my explanation, Ty Lee was looking up at me with an uncharacteristically unreadable expression.

"Mai," she said slowly, "that has to be the most weirdly romantic thing you have ever done."

I rolled my eyes. "You think everything is romantic."

She was undeterred. "You don't think _anything_ is." My silence did nothing to dissuade her. "So you _seriously _see nothing in this whole situation? You're risking your neck for a banished prince who you've had a crush on for years, even though it's been three years since you last saw him! Come on, that's the stuff fairy tales are made of!"

Ugh. "It actually sounds kind of pathetic, when you put it like that."

She shook her head, but didn't say anything more.

After a few minutes, she sighed.

"...What?"

"Oh, I'm just worried, that's all."

Gee, I wonder who about. Sorry, Ty, but I figure Azula's got her claws pretty firmly in your favourite barbarian.

"It just occurred to me that I might never see Sokka again."

...Okay, so apparently _I'm _the romantic, and Ty Lee has become pensive and depressing. What is this, Ass-Backwards Day?

"I mean, even if he manages to do what Azula told him, he'll be sent back to the Fire Nation, and I'm kind of... not exactly welcome there right now."

You ran away to join the circus because your parents were about to marry you off to some guy you'd never met. Sounds cliché, huh?

"I mean, Mom made it pretty clear that I wasn't welcome back home any more, and there's nowhere else I could stay."

Wow. And I thought _I_ was blasé.

"Ty... after Sokka's finished his job for Azula, he's going to meet me in Om- New Ozai. You could come with me if you like."

She looked up, apparently surprised.

"Really?"

I shrugged. It's not that big a deal, really.

"Sure. I'll probably have to go back to the Fire Nation for a while, to keep up my end of the bargain, but you can stay with my parents if you like." They won't complain too loudly. And if they do I can remind them whose ties to the Royal Family it was that got them their position in the first place. "And Azula will probably be too busy being a conquering hero to give Sokka any new orders for a while."

Ty Lee was grinning from ear to ear. Oh no. I know what's coming...

Yup. Ty Lee leapt up and grabbed me in a painfully constricting hug.

--

The Assassin.

By the time I had said goodbye to the swamp people, I had concocted a fairly watertight theory.

It is well known that some mushrooms have hallucinogenic properties. It's not impossible that some grow in the swamp. So, when these mushrooms decompose, they release a cloud of hallucinogenic gas, causing visions. The locals don't suffer any ill-effects because of a long immunisation period. So, when I entered the swamp, I inadvertently stumbled upon a patch of this gas. There. Explained. A perfectly ordinary swamp. No Spirit involvement at all.

I set out on the road to Gaoling, which ran perpendicular to a river. It was a beautiful day. I had bathed in the river, and purged the swamp water from my clothes. I was planning to have some of the seal jerky when I stopped for lunch.

But I couldn't shake the unpleasant feeling niggling at the back of my head.

So I ignored it.

**--**

**I've got it all worked out. In chapters where Bugger All Happens (such as this one), the wordcount will be about 2000 words. In chapters where Stuff Actually Happens (such as chapter four) the word count will be closer to 3000. Simple.**

**Oh, just an advance warning, I've got the plot pretty much solidified now, as far as the basics go, and I'm going to be fairly cruel to Zuko, Aang, Katara, Azula, and especially, especially Sokka, Ty Lee and Mai. You have been warned.**

**... Why does everyone on this site get such a kick out of causing suffering to their favourite characters?**


	7. Back on Track

**Chapter Seven: Back on Track.**

--

The Assassin.

Gaoling's an interesting town, and the only major hub in the central Earth Kingdom. Ten years ago the war was a distant rumble, and the Front was the place where all the young men went, nothing more, nothing less.

Now the Fire Nation forces are less than twenty miles away. The Earth Kingdom is crumbling away. Soon the Fire Nation will control everything between the western coast and the great desert.

And then the dragon's jaws will close, and crush Ba Sing Se like an egg.

Sucks to be them, huh?

--

It was late evening when I arrived in Gaoling, and I wasn't in a state to do much more than make my way to the nearest inn and collapse into a bed. The next morning, rested and refreshed, I ate breakfast at the inn and made my way to the market, partly to see if there was any news of the Avatar, but mostly to get a new bag. I couldn't get rid of the Essence of Swamp from my one.

The market exemplifies Gaoling. It started, as far as these things officially _start_, as a back-alley flea market, but through some weird coincidence it became _fashionable._ It sells everything, from clothes to foodstuffs to exotic weapons to is where the two halves of the Gaoling society mix- the incredibly rich landowners and war profiteers (but who isn't a war profiteer, after so long?) rub uneasy shoulders with cut-throats and pickpockets, and keep their hands on their wallets. Most of the time the two sections of society don't meet much; the wealthy rarely venture far from their estates, while the poor live mostly in vast underground caverns, built and maintained by artisan earthbenders, with the tiny but growing middle class living uneasily in the town itself, in white stone houses, where they are mostly stall owners, if they aren't earthbenders.

But this fascinating balance is shifting. As the rich pay inflated prices (any flea merchant worth his salt knows that the richer a man is, the less he knows the value of a silver piece) the merchants become richer, and move out of the caverns and into the town proper, as respectable as you please, and so the market is turning into the place to go for luxury items, and only the back alleys are cheap enough for the poorer patrons.

The culture of Gaoling is becoming homogenised, the poorer becoming richer due to the idle fascination of the rich with things like hand-weaved carpets and locally forged swords, and nowhere is this more evident than in the traditional earthbending tournaments. For years, they were illegal, but six years ago the local rulers decided that since they were never going to be able to prevent them, then they might as well legalise it, in order to better police it. So they registered every competitor, gave the ringmaster one of the abandoned caverns to use as a stadium, and added a ten percent tax to every ticket sold. The ringmaster got richer, the council got another source of local income, and the wrestling enthusiast got to go without fear of the Watch crashing the party. A good time had by all.

--

The Guardian.

Tufts of white hair. Our trail was marked by tufts of white hair. What's next, a trail of breadcrumbs?

The aforementioned tufts were a stroke of extreme good fortune on our part. Ty Lee had been on the observation deck- she never feels particularly comfortable in enclosed spaces- when she noticed the white strands floating down on us. Naturally, she felt that she had to inform everyone in the vicinity of this,and Azula, of course, put two and two together and made an Avatar on a flying bison. She figured his big monster was shedding. So she threatened the pilot until he changed course and follow the trail of hair.

...That's wonderful, Azula. But did you _really_ have to wake me up? It's been a long, boring day.

The hell with this. If we catch up with the Avatar, you can wake me up. Otherwise, I'm going back to sleep.

--

"Mai, wake up!"

The case for Azula being irredeemably sadistic presents exhibit X(2): she sent Ty Lee to wake me up.

"Mai, did you hear me? We have to get ready; the Avatar's in sight!"

She grabbed me by the hand, dragging me from my wonderfully uncomfortable chair, and down into the bowels of this machine. When we stopped, I took the opportunity to find out just how much my back hurt. Lots. Great.

Ty Lee must have noticed my wincing as I straightened up, because she leant over and jabbed my back in certain places, and I instantly felt somewhat better. It seems the girl does have her uses after all.

Azula met us as we arrived at the landing deck, and directed us towards our mounts.

Now, I would like to take a moment to raise a simple question. What's wrong with komodo-rhinos? They're fast, manoeuvrable, don't take much to feed, and they don't smell as bad as ostrich-horses. Sure, they don't make as good eating, either, and they can't carry quite as much, but they're faster by far.

So why did Azula decide to make us ride these horrible lizard-things?

Ty Lee leapt gracefully into her saddle, and Azula mounted easily. Mine attempted to bite me. I denied it the opportunity.

"Come _on _Mai, stop fooling around," Azula snapped. Ty Lee just smiled.

"You have to show it who's boss, Mai."

And how, precisely, am I meant to do that? Bat it on the nose with something?

Azula was getting agitated. "Mai, get on, _now_."

Fine, Miss Bossy.

Staring down the horrible lizard-creature, I awkwardly climbed onto the saddle. I may have dug my heels in a little harder than was strictly necessary.

--

After what seemed like an eternity, the machine stopped, and the door opened, letting us out onto a long road in the mountains. At the other end, near the summit, were three indistinct shapes. I assumed that this was the Avatar, his waterbending teacher, and an earthbender they had picked up somewhere.

...Sorry, but couldn't we have parked a little closer? That's quite a way away.

It seemed that they had decided to stay and fight, and we were happy to oblige. Azula spurred her lizard-monster forwards, and Ty Lee and I followed suit. I soon found another reason to hate the lizards. When they run, they thrash from side to side, which makes for a phenomenally uncomfortable ride.

The short earthbender waved their arms, and a wall of earth began to grow in front of us. Azula raised her left fist, and Ty Lee vaulted from her lizard and leapt onto and over the growing wall.

--

The Assassin.

Today was shaping out to be a good day. I had got a new bag, I had got enough food to last for over a month, and I had found a place that sold ostrich-horses, at remarkably reasonable prices. Now all I needed was information.

I made my way back to the inn, and struck up a conversation with the bartender, a heavyset, bearded man.

"So, anything interesting happen lately?"

The man harrumphed. "You could say that." I glanced at him, and he nodded.

"Few weeks ago, apparently the Avatar was in town. Rumour has it he kidnapped a young society girl, daughter of the Bei Fongs, but I'm blowed if I ever heard of a daughter before."

My interest was piqued. "Kidnapped, you say?"

"Aye, that's what folks are saying. All sounds a bit far fetched, if you ask me. I can accept the Avatar being back and all, and I got to say that if it's true, then it's nice to hear some good news for a change, and I can even accept that he might have stopped here for a little while, but I draw the line at stories that he goes around kidnapping little girls that no one has ever heard of before."

Hmm. It's a little too specific for the rumour mill to have spun out of nothing. I'll probably have to look into that later.

"Anything else?"

"Well, if you're interested in the Earth Rumble, apparently the Blind Bandit hasn't shown up, nor the ringmaster, for the last few weeks."

This is just sports talk, and I have no interest in sport. But, out of politeness, I let the man talk.

"Who's the Blind Bandit?"

"You don't know? Oh, of course, you ain't exactly from around here. Not that there's anything wrong with foreign parts. She's the reigning champion of the last two Earth Rumble tournaments, and she would have won this won, except she never showed up to the final. The Boulder had to take her place. Lot of folks lost money on that one."

I'm starting to think politeness is overrated.

"Anyway, the Blind Bandit is a young girl, couldn't be more than twelve, and blind as a wolf-bat, but the most powerful earthbender anyone's ever seen."

Wait a second.

"How long ago did you say she vanished?

"Three weeks, give or take."

"And how long ago did the Avatar show up?" It's a long shot, but I've always been known for those.

"Well, the rumours started...about three weeks ago." Comprehension begins to dawn. "You don't think..."

I grin. "Oh I do. Check this for a scenario. Young Miss Bei Fong is blind, and her parents hide her from the world." It's not uncommon among rich Fire Nation families. None of them want to admit to weakness of any kind, so disabled children are often kept out of the public eye. "However, Miss Bei Fong is quite the earthbender, and she takes out her frustrations in the arena. The Avatar sees her, and recruits her as an earthbending teacher. She runs off, presumably without her parents' approval." I leant back, forgetting that I was on a bar stool, and almost fell over. "How's _that_ for a hypothesis?"

The bartender frowned. "Well, it all seems a bit far-fetched for me, but I admit stranger things have happened. Like that ostrich-horse becoming Captain of the Guard over in Omashu."

I nodded in agreement, and paid for my room and meal. It was time to get moving again.

--

The Guardian.

As soon as Ty Lee had disappeared over the wall, Azula blew a hole in it, and we scuttled through. Instantly, we were assaulted by a high pitched screaming, which seemed to be coming from the earthbender, who on closer inspection was a small girl. Ty Lee was standing next to her, looking vaguely concerned, while the girl flailed around like she'd suddenly gone blind or something. It looked like she was hyperventilating or something. Azula glanced at me, puzzled, and I shrugged. It didn't really matter, anyway.

However, it looked like whatever had happened was _really_ annoying to the Avatar, since he flung a gust of air at Ty Lee, knocking her back down the path. However, our arrow-headed friend must have not thought that one through too well, because he knocked over his friend as well.

Left sleeve. I've only got one shot at this.

As the Avatar ran to pick up his fallen comrade, and the waterbender lashed out at Azula, who easily deflected the attack, I swung my left arm out, flinging a single dart at the Avatar. He saw it coming, but was lumbered by the earthbender, and was unable to avoid being hit in the arm.

Night night.

My part done, I sat back and tried to get comfortable, no mean feat on this stupid lizard.

Outnumbered and outclassed, the waterbender lasted about thirty seconds- which, I'll admit, was about twenty-five seconds longer than I had expected- before being paralysed.

"Aang? Aang, what's going on?"

The earthbender was pinned beneath the Avatar, who was now, thanks to my unmatched brilliance, fast asleep, and she was grabbing blindly at his clothes. I stayed out of it as Azula ordered the crew to tie up the three and take them back.

As we went back to our transport, I glanced back at the enormous fluffy monster. It looked like it was unconscious, but there was a large-eared creature hopping up and down on its head, to no avail.

We had captured the Avatar. How incredibly anti-climactic.

**--**

**The first section encapsulates everything I am trying to do with this story. If you can't see it, then I have failed. Oh well. I'll keep trying.  
**


	8. Not to Plan

**Chapter Eight: Not to Plan.**

The Guardian.

Okay. We've captured the Avatar. Whoop de do.

So are we done? Can we go home now?

'Cause I've got to say, as lovely as it has been seeing you again Azula (if only because it's quite fascinating to see just how crazy you are, now I actually know some more sane people to compare you to), this little vacation isn't turning out as fun as you advertised.

Besides, I have an appointment to keep in Oma- New Ozai.

...That name's never going to stick, is it?

**--**

The Assassin.

The next day, I bought an ostrich-horse and headed north, on the basis that if the Avatar needed to learn earthbending, he'd want to do it in a deserted area with a lot of earth to bend. There was an area about three days ride away that fit the bill perfectly, a series of canyons on the western border of the desert. It was another long shot, but I was feeling pretty lucky.

I rode through lush grassland, the landscape broken up by the occasional cluster of pine trees.

"Hmm hm hmm hmm, hmm hm hmm hmm, hmm hmm hmm hmm..."

I think I feel a song coming on...

"Oh, when I find myself in times of trouble.."

My ostrich-horse hopped over a dip in the land, and the words were jerked from my throat. Start again.

"Oh, when I find myself in times of trouble, hybrid children come to me-e; pray for father roaming- rooaming freee-e! And in my hour of darkness, it is standing right in front of me! He is the thing that should not let it be-ee-ah! Do not let it be, let it be, yea-ah! Hybrid children watch the sea- he is the thing that should not le-et it be-ah!"

--

The Guardian.

Ugh. So _incredibly_ bored.

Once we'd captured the Avatar (hooray) we turned right around, powering down south. I supposed I needed to work out what I was going to say to persuade Azula to let me and Ty Lee off at Omash- New Ozai.

'Well, it's been fun, but I really should see my family. Yeah, I don't know _how_ they're managing without me. Ty said something about trying to find the circus again, and she asked me if I could put her up for a couple of days. No, no, it's your victory, Azula. You know I've never liked the limelight. We should do this again sometime. Feel free to drop by for tea some day.'

Ugh. _Way_ too sycophantic. Plus that last bit sounds like my _mom_.

A flash of movement from the porthole caught my eye, but it went past too quickly for me to get a proper look.

I made my way over to the bookshelf, and glanced over the selection. Nothing but firebending textbooks, repair manuals, and propaganda. I'll admit, the stirring "Tale of Firelord Sozin and the Traitor Roku" is pretty amusing, but only if you know your history.

...Wait a second. I just heard something.

I froze up, holding my breath. Over the roar of the engines, I could just make out a sound of some kind.

A sharp cry. Pain? Fear?

It was coming from the middle carriage. The only person in the middle carriage was Ty Lee, guarding the prisoners.

I ran. I left the room, and opened the door onto the connecting hinge between the compartments. The noise was fantastic, and I had trouble keeping my balance- there was no handrail- but after a few entertaining moments, I made it to the other door, and tumbled into the second compartment.

I was in a bare room. The prisoners were kept on the lower floor. In front of me was the door to the end carriage, above me was a hatch to the roof, and to my left was the short spiral staircase to the lower level.

I resisted the urge to go charging down into the unknown, and resisted the urge to call out to Ty Lee. Both would give away my presence to any potential escapees, something I would rather not do. Instead, I positioned myself so that I could have a clear shot at anyone running up the stairs.

A little late, it occurred to me that perhaps I should have got Azula.

The crash of heavy footsteps on the staircase alerted me, and I skulked in the corner, not immediately obvious to anyone coming up the staircase. Come on. I'm ready for you.

"Come on, we have to hurry."

...Wait a second. No. It _can't _be. There's no _way_.

The first figure fairly leapt up the stairs, followed closely by the waterbender girl. He was dressed in dark green, with short scruffy hair. He was carrying the earthbender in his left arm, and his right held a curved sword.

I must have gasped, or something stupid and cliché like that, because he span to look at me, and then everything went quiet.

Zuko.

--

The Assassin.

"When crawling chaos underground people living iin the world agree- the wretch is fearless with inn-sanity! And though he has been sleeping, there is still a chance that he will see, that this thing just should not le-et it be! Let it be, let it be-ee; hybrid children watch the sea, yeah! He is the thing that should not let it be-ee!"

My ostrich-horse, who I had affectionately dubbed Stinkella, snorted her appreciation of my singing prowess.

--

The Guardian.

I think someone has doused my brain with treacle. The first thing that I think is _what's he doing here?_

The second is _wow, he's hot. _

Okay, Mai. Focus. Block out the fact that _Zuko_ is _standing right there and damn he looks good_ focus on something else to distract you from the fact that _Zuko is looking exceptionally fine these days_ like... like... he has bad hair. He's dressed like a peasant and he probably smells like one... he... has poor social skills?

Ooh, I got one. He's _helping the Avatar to escape_. Yeah. That'll do.

Better not say anything stupid.

"Hi."

Good start, good start. Keep it up.

"Been a while."

Yep, you are aconversational g_od_.

Zuko nodded, wary. "Mai. It's good to see you."

Is it? Well, that's nice.

"You too." I was always brought up never to tell lies. Okay, so I pretty much ignore that most of the time, but what are you gonna do?

I'm dimly aware that the Avatar and his friends are looking a little confused right now, but I'm not paying attention to them.

A noise from below distracts me from _ogling Zuko_ analysing the situation. It sounds like Ty Lee is getting up.

"Did you hurt her?"

Zuko shook his head. "Not too badly, she's not burned, but she did hit her head on the floor pretty badly." He sounds very controlled, very calm. He's grown since I last saw him, in more ways than one.

The sounds of feet are on the stairs. Crap.

I know what I have to do. The future of the Fire Nation rests on the Avatar's capture. I have to stop him getting away in any way I can. It's my patriotic duty.

Unfortunately, I'm hardly your model patriot. And I won't fight Zuko.

"Hit me."

Zuko and his new friends are a tableau of confusion. We don't have time for this. Ty Lee will be here any second.

"I was perfectly clear, Zuko. I didn't stammer, or lisp. Hit me."

I think he understood my intention. Wielding his sword like a wand, he sent a plume of flame blossoming towards me. It was a weak one, thankfully, but it did the job it was supposed to. Scorch marks on my clothes and the wall near me, and I was knocked backwards.

Oh yeah. And it _hurt_. A _lot_.

--

"Mai! Are you alright?"

I looked up to see Ty Lee hauling me upright.

"It was Zuko! Zuko was here, and he's freeing the Avatar! Come on, we have to go after him!" She noticed the burn marks for the first time. "Did he hurt you?"

I shook my head, and pointed towards the trapdoor in the ceiling. Ty Lee nodded, and we climbed up the hole into the middle of a battle.

Azula was hurling fire at her brother, who was fending off her attacks as best he could, while the Avatar and his friend were standing behind him, looking uncomfortably helpless. The earthbender was still in Zuko's arm, and was probably fairly worried. Clearly none of them had got their bending back yet. Noticing us, the Avatar and the waterbender moved to attack us, the former with his staff towards Ty Lee, and the girl looking far less comfortable holding Zuko's other sword.

She brought the blade down towards me in an awkward strike, but I just stepped backwards. Frustrated, she swung again, and I moved out of the way again. She shot me a confused look, and I smirked back, just to confuse her. She tried a few more swings, and again I did nothing more than move out of the way. With the air of someone trying to tame a moose-lion, she struck a pose, but did nothing. I simply stood, with my hands in my sleeves, pleased that she had finally got the hint. I wanted to keep an eye on Zuko.

He wasn't doing too well. Hampered by the earthbender, who, now that I noticed it, I think was paralysed from the waist down (thanks no doubt to Ty Lee), the best he could do was deflect or avoid Azula's strikes. Although his firebending had clearly improved in his years of exile, he was no match for Azula. He was beginning to tire, sweat forming on his brow, while Azula's face was painted in that same confident smirk.

Then things went horribly wrong. I saw what happened- Azula changed targets. Instead of aiming for Zuko, as she had been for the whole fight, she aimed a blast of fire at the earthbender girl. Zuko saw it too, and twisted his body, shielding the girl. The flame caught him in the side, and he tumbled to the ground.

"Zuko!"

That wasn't me. I almost wish I could say it was, but it wasn't. The Avatar, abandoning his fight with Ty Lee, ignoring the fact that he was attacking one of the three most dangerous firebenders in the world with nothing more than four feet of wood, sprang towards Azula. She span on her heel, and drove her foot into his face, knocking him backwards. Then she turned back to Zuko, who was struggling to rise from the deck, the earthbender next to him, trying to force her useless legs to work.

Azula raised her right hand, and the sparks began to fly. Her hand curled downwards, and her left began to travel upwards.

A roar split the silence. A blast of flame seared the air, forcing everyone to drop to the deck. I recovered first, and was greeted by a strange sight, even by the standards of my life at the moment. The Dragon of the West was riding the Avatar's flying bison.

"Come on!" he screamed, and blasted a stream of flame towards Azula, as the Avatar and the waterbender dragged Zuko and the earthbender off the deck. As she passed me, Zuko's arm over her shoulder, the waterbending girl gave me a strange look.

I think she was the only one who had noticed the knife in my hand, and the way I was aiming it at the back of Azula's head when she channelled lightning.

--

The Assassin.

"Not dead which eternal lie; with stranger aeons death may die! These are words of wisdom—let it be! I wake up to the sound of music, let the answer come to me. Death to the one that will not let it be-ee! Let it be, let it be! Hybrid children watch the sea; he is the thing that should not... le-e-e-et... it... beeeeeeeagh!"

...Ow. I fell off my ostrich-horse. Actually, I think she threw me.

Stinkella, how could you betray me like that?

**--**

**I chose that song for Sokka originally on the basis that "well, I want him to have a song, and the Avatarverse is full of amalgamated animals, so why not an amalgamated song? The only good one I knew was Beatallica's "The Thing That Should Not Let It Be", so I chose that. Then I actually read the lyrics, and thought, "well, these actually fit quite well, you know". So, just in case you thought I was being a little arty, total coincidence there. But I did change one word to make it fit better, once I had noticed.**


	9. The Hunter of Men

**Chapter Nine: The Hunter of Men.**

--

The Assassin.

I made my camp in one of the caves higher in the canyons, after making very sure that there were no moose-lions in it, or anywhere near it. I had no desire to be mauled in my sleep, thank you very much.

During the day I didn't move around much- I had no need to. I had enough food to last, both for me and Stinkella, and I was far too exposed during the light of day. I generally just practised during the day. But every evening, I left, and searched for any sign of the Avatar or his companions.

I had chosen the most likely spot I could- it was near a river, and a small thicket, providing all the bare necessities for a camp site, as well as an ample source of water to practice bending with, but there was still no sign of any human presence at all.

Three days passed, and I was starting to wonder if my instincts had failed me. I didn't want to give up on this place- it seemed the most likely place to come, if the Avatar came here at all, but it looked like I would have to consider the possibility. Then, one evening, I saw it.

A small cloud, moving fast, and against the wind. Right towards me.

I pulled my small spyglass from my bag for a closer look.

Yep. Bingo.

--

The Guardian.

Well, it turned out what with all the unnecessary to-ing and fro-ing we had been doing, our enormous steel monster ran out of fuel about twenty miles from the front. Adding insult to injury, it turned out that Zuko had engaged a hitherto conspicuously absent amount of common sense, and thrown all of our supplies that weren't nailed down off the back of this thing. Of course, this included almost all our food. Great time to grow some competence, Zuko.

So, this whole chain of events (I say 'chain', but they were really pretty much simultaneous, really) led to me back in my painful chair, ignoring the fact that I was missing my first lunch (and dinner at this rate) since... _ever_, now that I think about it, trying to breathe as quietly as possible in case Azula, who was fuming over Zuko's frank declaration of his side (and when I say fuming, I mean it _literally_. Smoke was pouring from her nostrils, and at one point I thought I could see steam escaping her ears. It would have been funnier if I wasn't convinced that she was looking for half an excuse to kill someone), and ignoring the fact that Ty Lee was far less stoic than I was. Instead, I was reviewing my situation so far in a wider sense than my immediate geography.

All in all, not bad.

'But Mai', you may be asking, 'how are things not bad? Your potential boyfriend is now an official fugitive of the Fire Nation, of which you are a loyal and prominent citizen (or at the very least the daughter of one)? You'll never see him again, unless Azula catches him.'

If so, shut up, because you are an idiot. And, as an idiot, you're missing the point entirely.

I have said it before, and I will say it again, since you have obviously forgotten. I have a list.

Five people. There are five people I consider Worth the Air They Breathe. That title is not hyperbole, nor is it an attempt at humour. Right now, the entire Fire Nation could slide into the sea, and I wouldn't give a damn, as long as those five people stayed safe. And I will do everything and anything in order to keep them safe.

If Zuko were the only person I needed to consider, then I would have left days ago. Azula would have found herself with a knife sticking in her head, if I was lucky, and then I would have run, and perhaps tried to make something of a life in exile with Zuko.

But he isn't the only factor. If I had left, I would have been leaving Ty Lee to the tender mercies of Azula (I don't flatter myself that I would actually be able to eliminate the princess), which, as I have already mentioned, is something that is quite emphatically Not Happening.

Okay, suppose I (through some miracle) managed to lodge three inches of steel into Azula's head, and persuaded Ty Lee to come with me in pursuit of Zuko. There would be witnesses- there are crewmen on this machine. Everyone who knows anything about me knows that I like to play with knives (as Ty Lee once delicately put it). Azula would be left with a fatal knife wound, and witnesses would have placed me at the scene.

Do _you_ think my father would be left the Governor of New Ozai? Because I think he would be lucky if he found himself my Uncle's guest, even for the briefest of times.

The point is, I never wanted- okay, rephrase that- I never _expected_ to be able to be with Zuko in any way at all. I didn't hold out too much hope for that when he was still Prince- although a girl can dream- and that hope has withered away since then. So I set my sights a little lower. As long as he's breathing, and not rotting in a dungeon somewhere, that's good enough for me. On most days.

--

The Assassin.

Kids. That was who I had been set on. A couple of children, barely into their teens.

Thanks, Azula. Really.

I was lying on the lip of the canyon, watching the Avatar and his group unpack. The sun had vanished below the horizon, so I was able to use the spyglass. They pulled the saddle from their flying bison, and unpacked. The waterbender put up a tent, but she was the only one. The earthbender had a bundle of some description, but the Avatar was busying himself lighting a fire. He did this by assuming a stance that was almost a caricature of the basic firebending stance, and launching the tiniest fireball I had ever seen at the bundle of sticks.

So this was the awesome power of the Avatar. I am so awed.

They sat for a while, and ate. At one point, the Avatar did...something, involving a set of beads, spinning them in in a tight circle in his palm, and the waterbender chuckled behind her hand, while the earthbender looked confused.

... I can't help but feel that there's something _off_ about her. And how does she see with her hair like that?

After about twenty minutes, the earthbender got up and moved about ten paces away from the fire and the others, where she laid out her sleeping bag, and pulled up a couple of slabs of rock to serve as a tent. Meanwhile, the other two stood and prepared for sleep.

Strange. Why would the earthbender move so far away from the main group? I spent a few minutes scanning the area for a good reason, but failed. By the time I had turned my attention back to the other two, the waterbender had gone into the tent, and the Avatar was laid out on the ground, apparently sound asleep.

...What? Is that _it_? No watch? No guard? No cunning tripwires? Even the _lemur_ is asleep! Are they _that stupid? _If so, why aren't they dead yet? _Do they want me to come down and murder them in their sleep_? _What the hell?_

For a moment, I seriously considered it, but deciding that breaking into the rock tent silently would be impossible. I would be better off following my initial plan.

I went back to my cave, avoiding the tripwires I had planted around the mouth (I, unlike some certain saviours of the world, have no desire to be woken by a knife being stuck in my ear) and tried to get some sleep.

--

My plan was fairly simple, but I figured I could leave it to my opponents to complicate it. I would wait for either the earthbender or the waterbender to separate from the group, eliminate them, hide the body, and wait for one of the others to go looking for them. If the Avatar came my way, I would try to avoid being seen, and hunt for the other. If it was the other, then things would be a lot easier.

It's not the best plan, but I can improvise if need be. The only thing I have to worry about is getting discovered by the Avatar. There's no way I can outrun him if even half of the things about him are true.

Unfortunately, the trio seemed determined to annoy me with even more than their lacklustre camping habits- for an _entire week_ there was no point where the three were separated for any length of time.

The earthbender was teaching the Avatar. After a disastrous attempt to move a rock, she was seemingly concentrating on building up his strength and ability to earthbend "passively"- using bending to augment his strength, and so on. All the while, the waterbender would look on, seemingly concerned, although I couldn't get a closer look through the spyglass, since I couldn't risk the sun glinting off the glass.

But after a week, my chance came. It seemed that after a week in each others' company, tempers were more than a little frayed. After an incident where the Avatar failed to stop a boulder rolling down a hill, opting instead to leap aside at the last minute, his teacher threw a hissy fit and stomped off, leaving the waterbender to presumably repair his ego. This was my chance.

--

I stalked the earthbender to a cliff edge, about ten minutes from their camp. She was sitting with her back to me, watching the early evening sun. Now I was close to her, I could see that she looked no more than about twelve years old.

Damnit. I haven't got a choice, though. Sorry, kid. Whoever you are.

My right hand curled around the hilt of my weapon, my left keeping a grip on the hilt. My breathing slowed as I took another step towards the target.

There was a patch of loose gravel directly in front of me. I could step over it, and risk losing my stance, or I could go around, and risk her turning around and seeing me. I chose the former. Speed was of the essence, and I had the advantage of surprise.

Another step, and it occurred to me that this- if my theory was right- would be Miss Bei Fong. So now I had a name for her.

There is a song, among the Southern Water Tribes. The death song. I know the tune- I heard it sung many times (too many times) for many people (too many people) on the boat to the Fire Nation. The words are different each time, because the words are for the dead person. But the tune is always the same. And the first and last words are always the name of the dead.

This is why I don't learn their names. But I guess I can give you a song, Bei Fong. Not a fair trade, but it's all I can offer. I'll have to hum most of it, of course, since I don't know all that much about you.

I take another step, and my foot sinks into the ground.

What the-

Before I can do anything, the earth sinks and twists beneath me, and my stick clatters to the ground as I am swallowed up to the shoulders.

How? I was _silent_, I know I was!

"So..." the earthbender turns around, and she's grinning. I'm reminded of woodcuts of the Unagi. "You've been hanging around our camp for a week now, and I want to know why. Who are you? What do you want? Where did you come from? Who are you working for?"

She's not looking at me. And I suddenly realise why.

"You're blind, aren't you?"

She bristled. "What's it to you?"

"Nothing, just if you are, things make more sense. How did you 'see' me, by the way?"

She smirked. "Earthbending. You're pretty light on your feet, but you've got nothing on Twinkletoes."

...Okay, she's successfully derailed.

"Hey, you haven't answered my questions." She jabbed me in the chin with one of her bare feet, which were caked in dust. I started coughing.

"Have you ever thought about visiting a chiropodist? 'Cause I'm fairly sure feet shouldn't have the consistency of leather."

She wasn't amused. "Fine. If you're gonna be like that, I think I'll jut leave you here and go get Aang and Katara."

...

...

She is still talking. I'm not listening. She walks off. I barely notice.

Katara.

_Katara_.

Is it even possible?

No. It _can't _be. There must be other people called Katara in the world. Possibly in the Northern Water Tribe.

But... the Avatar came from the south. Everyone said so.

...

I don't know what to think.

Katara?

**--**

**Okay, this is it. Make or break time, peeps.**

**Also, I tried to point out that the Gaang is missing something without Sokka. When _Katara_ is your voice of practicality and reason, you know you've got problems.  
**


	10. The Web Snaps

**Chapter Ten: The Web Snaps.**

The Assassin.

Footsteps. Three sets of them. I can hear them thumping onto the bare earth, but I can't see them.

I don't think I can take this. I have to get out of here.

...I _know_ that's impossible, alright? Give me a break, I'm not feeling all that rational at the moment.

One by one, the footsteps stop. The slap of the earthbender is first, and I instinctively try to map out where she is. About five paces away, if the other footsteps are any indication.

The second, a strong pace, taller than the others, stops directly behind me. Is this..._her?_

And the last, feet so light it's hard to tell that anyone is there at all, stop directly in front of me, and I find myself staring at a pair of brown shoes.

"Toph said she caught you sneaking up on her." The voice of the boy in front of me speaks up. This must be the Avatar. "Who are you? What do you want?"

He's trying to sound tough. He's very bad at it.

The... person... behind me moves, and stops a little way away. There's the _shik_ of tearing steel, and a short exclamation. Whoever it is has found my stick.

"Aang, look at this."

That voice...

Whatever doubt I have is washed away in a tide. Penguin sledging when we were supposed to be helping repair the igloos, snowball fights in the village which I could never win because she would always _cheat_ with her bending, making a fort in the snow, which she accidentally pulled down when she threw a tantrum, giving me a spear she made for my sixth birthday...

_Blood on the snow. Mom telling me to look after Katara, telling us both to run...Katara screaming... both of us starting to run... Katara was fast, faster than me. She never saw._

_Mom was never a fighter._

_I thought I was._

But within an instant, my doubts reasserted themselves. I had to be sure.

The Avatar looked angry, what I could see of him below this hat. I think he might have figured out why I was here. I didn't really care.

"Katara?" I croaked.

Even saying her name was an exercise in control.

Everyone went quiet.

"How... how do you know my name?"

"Katara of the Southern Water Tribe? Only daughter of Chief Hakoda?"

She moves around, and I see the bottom half of a blue dress, with dark leggings and leather boots.

"What's this about?"

"Are you the daughter of Chief Hakoda?" I'm forceful. It helps keep my voice under control.

"_Yes_. Now what do you want?"

My heart has stopped.

My ribs are folding inwards, punching into my lungs.

I can't think.

What do I _say_?

"Could... could you take my hat off, please?"

After a beat, she squats down, and pulls my hat from my head. And I am confronted with a face.

It's her. Seven years older, but it's her. She looks more like Mom now, but it's her.

And I'm calm. My mind accepts this new reality.

But I'm crying. I'm sobbing, bawling like a child, my ribs are crushing me and my eyes are blurred and it's so _frustrating_ because I can't say what I need to say and my _mind_ is under control so _why can't I stop crying?_

I breathe deeply, my throat rasping.

"I- it's me," I hiccup.

No. Stupid body. That's no good. How in the world is she supposed to understand that?

I try again.

"It's me. S... Sokka. I'm Sokka. ...Hi."

That's all I can manage before my body decides it's time to start shaking again. There's an argument going on all around me, and I try to listen to it.

"Let him out." "But" "_Let him out." _"Katara-" "_Now_." "Katara, calm down. What's going on?" "_Let. Him. Out." _"Are you _crazy_? He tried to _kill_ me!" "Katara, what's this about?" "He's my _brother_."

"_What?_" "Are you sure?!" "How..." "...You never said you had a brother..."

"_Let him OUT!"_

The next thing I know, the ground is shifting beneath and around me, pushing me upwards. As soon as my arms are free, I drag myself out, like a drowning man from the sea, gasping for air. As soon as I'm on my knees, a pair of hands grabs my head, pulling it upwards, until I'm staring into a pair of blue eyes.

She really does look like Mom. It's almost uncanny.

She's looking for something in my face, and she must find it, because after a moment, she grabs me in a fierce hug. I return it, awkwardly- she looks so _fragile, _like I might break her- and we kneel there, on the bare earth, locked in an embrace, both crying, while the other two look on, thoroughly confused.

--

The Guardian.

Late that day, the crewmen return with enough coal to get us to the command station, a couple of miles from the front. We disembarked, and Ty Lee noted the huge trebuchets, being packed in carts. They were quite impressive.

"Useless," Azula noted when I made the mistake of idly commenting on this. "They won't be what wins this war."

You got a bigger one tucked away somewhere, or something?

"No, I think a far subtler weapon is needed. Uncle proved that brute force will not crack Ba Sing Se."

...Did I say that out loud? I didn't say that out loud, did I? ...I didn't _mean_ to say that out loud. It must be a chronic lack of food causing my head to go all... bleh.

Azula ditched us once again, vanishing into the command tent. Not that I was complaining, but it wouldn't have hurt to direct us to some food of some kind.

--

The Assassin.

It's much, much later. I'm sitting by the camp fire. It took a long time, but I've managed to get through my story as best I can. The earthbender looks grim, but Katara and Aang look horrified. I almost feel bad about telling them. Maybe I shouldn't have. But I'm basically winging it at the moment.

The evening is... strained. They made their introductions, but the fact remained that two of them were complete strangers, one of whom I had tried to murder earlier that day. Understandably, everything was a little awkward.

Eventually, the Avatar mentioned that it was getting late, and that everyone should get some sleep.

"Do you have a camp nearby, Sokka?"

I nodded. "About a mile west of here. I should go get my stuff."

He stood up. "I'll come with you."

He seemed perfectly cheerful, which immediately set off my suspicion alert. What was his thinking? Did he not want me running off, perhaps? Did he not trust me with either of the others?

If so, good. He should be wary. He shouldn't trust me. He's going to be a lot more canny than he has shown himself as if he's going to defeat the Fire Nation.

We left the camp, and walked towards the cave I had set up camp in.

"So, Sokka, I was wondering..." he seemed a little unsure of himself.

"How unlikely is it that I turn out to be the long-lost brother of one of your companions?" I supplied.

He scoffed. "Nah, nothing like that. I'm the _Avatar_, I'm a magnet for that kind of stuff. I was actually wondering what Princess Azula was like. If she's as important as you say..."

Yeah. I get you.

"She's crazy."

"Oh." He lapses into silence. Yeah, that kind of killed the conversation, didn't it?

"Let me rephrase that. When I pointed out that her uncle was a lot smarter than he let on, she decided that instead of trying to capture him and Zuko, it would be simpler all round if I just killed them both."

The Avatar froze in his tracks. "Wait, you were ordered after _Zuko_?"

"Yeah. You must have met him."

He nodded, and kept moving. "He's saved my life twice."

Well. That was unexpected.

"Why?"

The Avatar frowned. "First, it was because if he wasn't the one to capture me, apparently his father wouldn't let him come home. But the second time, he got himself hurt badly. When we were safe, Katara healed him, and he sat with his uncle for a while. When he came back, he said he was giving up on chasing me."

Okay. More surprises.

"Why?"

"He said he'd finally figured out that his father was _never_ going to let him come home, if he captured me or not."

Hmm. It seems Zuzu isn't quite as dense as I had been led to believe. Or is that just the result of Iroh's meddling?

"He said he needed to find himself, and he told us he was going to-" the Avatar caught himself just in time.

I shook my head. "Don't worry. I was never going to kill him anyway."

I think I've confused him. "Why not?"

"Politics. Here we are." I pointed to my cave, and the Avatar dashed inside.

"Awk!"

And discovered my tripwires.

"I put those up so people can't sneak up on me while I'm asleep, since I don't have someone who can stand guard," I tell him, pointedly. I don't think he gets it.

"You have an ostrich-horse?"

"Well, how else was I supposed to get around? Check that the saddlebags are still secure, would you?"

It's not impossible that some animal or other could have got into them.

"Yep. Whoa, they're pretty heavy."

"I like to be prepared. Plus gold is kind of heavy."

He hefted the saddlebags onto Stinkella, who took the load stoically, while I undid my traps.

In a way, I felt sad to be leaving my cave. It was a kind of home, for a while. Sure, it was small, and windy, and uncomfortable, but it was somewhere _I_ chose, and that was kind of important, in a completely unimportant way. I never had much choice in anything, and that wasn't about to change.

I didn't know that then, of course. It would be another few hours before I realised that I still wasn't as free as I seemed.

Or perhaps I had never been as enslaved as I had thought.

Huh.

--

I didn't sleep that night.

If anyone had asked, I would have been keeping watch. That would have been a half truth at best.

So much has changed, in such a short space of time. It feels like the ground is slipping away beneath my feet. I need a place to stand.

I stand, and retrieve my weapon. Maybe physical exercise would help. That at least hadn't changed.

Much to my instructors' chagrin, once I had learnt the basics of combat, I had twisted any style they had tried to teach me into something of my own. Perhaps it was a kind of rebellion, the only I could get away with. Once I had demonstrated the effectiveness of my fighting, they let me get on with it, and focused on theory instead.

There are four main forms in my fighting: Stone, Sea, Sky, and Flame. Sound familiar? Yeah.

Tonight, I would practice my stone forms.

I drew my blade from its sheath, placing the wood on the ground. Only the sky forms made use of that.

I rooted my feet, planting them wide apart, and took a two handed grip on the hilt of my sword. My back was straight, strong. Sure.

I began to practice, my blade hammering down in strong chops, deflecting invisible strikes, twisting imaginary blades aside before smashing down upon unseen monsters. It was... therapeutic, in a way. It reminded me that some things don't change, that some things can be relied on.

I could rely on my sword. I could rely on myself. Everything else was in flux, but those two stayed the same.

The stone forms left no room for anything other than utter concentration. Every blow was methodical, premeditated, everything mapped out beforehand. Just what I needed.

Also, exactly why it took me so long to notice the earthbender sitting on a rock a little way away, looking amused in an irritated way (if that makes any sense at all).

"Hi?" I tried, quietly enough not to wake anyone else up. "Is there something wrong?"

She walked up to me, the irritation now plain.

"Do you know how hard it is to sleep with you moving around like that?"

Huh?

**--**

**Writer's Block? In **_**my**_** story?**

**It's more likely than you'd think.**

**Also, chronic lack of Stuff For Mai To Do made this chapter short. She mai have more to do next time.  
**


	11. A Place to Stand

**Chapter Eleven: A Place to Stand.**

--

The Assassin

The next day, I brought up a problem. One that should have occurred to me earlier, and probably would have, if I hadn't been understandably distracted. But the fact remained that I hadn't thought of it earlier, and now I had to bring it up, and deal with the problem. No use pretending that it doesn't exist.

"What are we going to do with my ostrich-horse?"

--

The Guardian.

"A _giant drill_? What were you _thinking_?"

Azula's in one of her moods. To his credit, War Minister Qin is keeping his cool, when most people in his position would be reduced to a pile of quivering War Minister.

"With all due respect, Princess, I have been working on the design of this machine for some years, and your Royal father has given the project his support. I fail to see your complaint."

Of course, he could just be extraordinarily stupid. That's looking likelier and likelier all the time.

"Father is no mechanic. And need I remind you that brute force has _never_ been sufficient to crush the city?"

Ty Lee and I were sitting on a couple of stools near the cloth walls of the command tent, while Azula and the War Minister argued over a map, Field Marshall Qiqiang standing a little way apart, seemingly trying to pretend that he wasn't associated with anyone in the tent. He wasn't having too much success, especially since the War Minister kept shooting him furtive glances, as if he expected the Field Marshall to weigh in in support of the Giant Drill Plan.

Frankly, the idea sounds ridiculous.

It turned out that the machine we had ridden here had been one of about twenty, all designed to be taken apart, and rebuilt into the Fire Nation's super-weapon of the day, a gigantic drill, apparently designed to punch through the wall of Ba Sing Se.

"May I remind you that the outer wall has been breached before, and that Ba Sing Se is still ruled by the Earth King? I was under the impression that we were supposed to _learn_ from the mistakes of our predecessors, not emulate them."

Ooh, good point. The crowd waits with baited breath to see how Qin will respond.

"May I ask, since the Princess is so clearly a tactical genius, what she would do instead?"

Hah, a weak effort, merely stalling for time. Plus, it's exactly what Azula has been waiting for.

With much aplomb, Azula flourished a scroll, and spread it wide upon the table. Interested, the Field Marshall drew closer, and peered at the writing.

"This is a report from one of our agents within the city-"

"One of _my_ agents?" the War Minister squawked, indignantly.

"And this is the information I requested he gather on the Grand Secretariat and head of the Dai Li, Long Feng.

"Long Feng is an intelligent man. He knows that it is only a matter of time before the Earth Kingdom falls, and he would rather be left clear of the rubble when it does. If we can arrange a meeting with him, convincing him to allow us into the city will be far easier than assaulting it with any enormous weapon."

Qin spluttered, but Qiqiang stroked his beard thoughtfully, his thick fingers tangled in the greying strands.

"Is he really so corrupt that we can convince him to betray his own city?"

Azula's attention went straight to the old Field Marshall. "He's less corrupt than... pragmatic. If we explain the situation in terms of either his collaboration with us, or us waiting for the Comet, when we shall burn Ba Sing Se to the ground, I am sure he shall see sense. Of course, it will be far easier to convince him if there isn't a gigantic machine breathing down his neck." This last comment was delivered pointedly at Qin, who looked murderous. It really was quite funny.

And just like that, without any formal declaration, it was decided. The Field Marshall and Azula pulled out maps of the surrounding countryside, and the War Minister seethed impotently in the background, finally making his excuses and leaving.

After a few millennia plotting logistics, Azula steered the conversation into mildly diverting territory again.

"I must say, Field Marshall, I was surprised how quickly you agreed with my plan. No qualms about taking such a dishonourable course of action?"

Qiqiang leant back in his chair, armoured arms folded across his barrel chest. It struck me for the first time that he wasn't wearing any of the finery so beloved by the upper echelons of the Fire Nation Military. He was just wearing ordinary armour, well made but plain. Huh.

"Honour? To speak plainly, I couldn't care less about honour. After an entire life in the army, all I want is to see an end to this war, and to send as many of my men home as I can. Now, your plan seems like the most likely to accomplish both, so I'm in favour of it."

Well, that's a world view you don't get that often around here.

"Also, if you don't mind me saying so, I always thought that the idea of a giant drill was ludicrous."

_That_ point of view, however, is almost universal.

--

The Assassin.

I sat back, bewildered by the seemingly raging argument that was storming in front of me.

"It's too risky! Besides, Aang can't afford to lose any more practice time! He'll _never_ be able to earthbend at this rate!"

"It'll take about half the time, and no one's going to notice, and _what_ exactly are you implying about Aang's earthbending?"

"Well, perhaps you might not be able to appreciate it, but Appa _looks_ really noticeable! And all I'm saying is that by this point, Aang was at least able to _actually_ waterbend!"

"Oh, it's _so_ on now!"

I turned to the Avatar, who was looking concerned.

"Are they always like this?"

"Well... yeah. But not like _this._ We should really decide something quickly."

I shook my head. "Look, if it's this much trouble, I could just _walk_ it to the village by myself. It's not going to be a problem."

Perhaps I should reiterate. I had noticed that now I was a member of this party, I no longer needed my ostrich-horse. I brought this up, and was told that there was a village about half a day's walk back towards Gaoling, at the edge of the valleys. A discussion had been brought up on how best to go about selling the ostrich-horse at the village.

The earthbender had suggested using the flying bison to carry Stinkella to the village, while Katara had decided that a couple of us should walk her to the village. Apparently, polite debate is out of style these days.

Look, if it's going to be _that_ much trouble, I can just kill the damn thing. Seriously, it'll be no trouble at all. I make a rule never to get too attached to something I have down as plan B when it comes to a good meal.

Hmm... I'm guessing that wouldn't go down too well with Aang, though. I've got to suggest _something_, though, if only to prevent an actual fight breaking out.

The Avatar shook his head. "No. We don't want to have anyone going off by themselves. It's too dangerous."

Now, does he _actually_ think that? Or is he still twitchy about the thought of letting me wander about unsupervised?

I hope it's the latter, but I don't believe it.

"Well, you'd better make a decision quickly, otherwise we're going to have a fight on our hands."

He didn't look too happy about that.

"But..."

I decided that it might be time to offer a little advice.

"Can I make a suggestion?"

He looked up. "Sure."

"Don't make the call based on not hurting anyone's feelings. You should pick based on what you think is the best idea. Don't worry about what either of them think, they'll get over it. And meanwhile, you'll all be following the best course of action." Of course, that requires that they actually _listen_ to you, which is far from a given.

"Right." He nodded, and stood up.

"Guys?"

The two ignored him, apparently engrossed in trash-talking.

"Guys! Stop arguing!" He was getting frustrated now. Not that the girls noticed.

Eventually, he had to resort to knocking a blast of air at them, kicking up dust and distracting them long enough for him to get a word in edgeways.

"Guys, _listen_. I think Katara's right on this one. She and Sokka can walk the ostrich-horse to the village. It'll attract the least attention, and I really _do_ need to work on my earthbending. We are on a time limit."

Katara had at least the dignity to look smug.

--

A little while after we left the camp site behind, Katara appeared to cool off. I guessed I should make conversation of some kind.

"So... what was that about?"

Okay, so I'm not the most tactful of people. Sue me.

"Ugh. I don't know. Something about Toph just... sets me off."

"Oh."

Wow. This conversation is _sparkling_.

"It's just... she's so _stubborn_. And she doesn't listen to _anybody_."

She's getting worked up again. Best to change to subject.

"Okay. I was wondering, how did you find the Avatar?"

It's not the most subtle shift, and she notices the awkwardness, but she seems to realise why I'm doing it, and accepts it.

"I was practising."

"Practising?"

"My waterbending. After you were taken, everything changed. Dad... it was like I didn't know him some days; he was so _angry_, and before I was ten, he took all the warriors and left on some _stupid_ mission of revenge or something. I was left behind, to 'look after the village'." The message was plain. She felt she'd been abandoned.

I did the only thing I could. I threw a concerned (and hopefully comforting) arm over her shoulders, and squeezed gently. She acknowledged the gesture with a small smile.

"But since I was the only person in the village who could possibly put up a fight, I needed to get better at waterbending quickly, and without a teacher. So every day I took a boat out to the ice floes, and tried to figure out how to waterbend. It wasn't easy, but I seemed to be making progress.

"Then one day, I accidentally shattered an iceberg."

I raised an eyebrow. "That sounds... hard to accidentally do."

"Well... okay, maybe it wasn't so much _accidental_ as _I wonder if I can waterbend this iceberg_, but that's not important." She was grinning, though.

"Anyway, after the iceberg broke, another one bobbed up, perfectly spherical, and _glowing_. And I saw Aang inside."

Ah. So that's how he survived one hundred years. Locked in the ice. Very poetic.

As we tramped along, leading the ostrich-horse behind us, she continued her story. It turned out that she and Aang had fled the South Pole, chased by the exiled Prince Zuko (he does seem to show up a lot, doesn't he?) and eventually made their way to the North Pole, where they had finally found a waterbending master.

"And he _wouldn't teach me_!"

"...Why?"

"Because I'm a _girl_. Apparently, women are only allowed to learn healing."

"So what did you do?"

She smirked. "Challenged him to a fight."

Oh.

"He won, of course, but you'll never believe what he found out. Years ago, he had been engaged to Gran-Gran!"

"Seriously? That's... quite a coincidence."

"Yep, this is the betrothal necklace he carved for her." She pointed to pendant around her neck. I realised that it was the same one Mom used to wear. For some reason, the realisation made me feel uneasy.

"After that, with a little more persuasion, he agreed to teach me. And a good thing too."

"The invasion?"

She nodded. "The invasion. I had to fight Zuko. It was hard, but with the help of the full moon, I won. At least until the sun came up, anyway." She put a hand to her head. "To cut a long, confused story short, Aang joined with the moon spirit, and destroyed the Fire Nation Navy."

I had heard some details of that.

"_All_ of it?"

"Almost." She didn't sound pleased. "It was... terrifying. Seeing Aang like that... it was like I never knew him at all. Even though I had been travelling with Aang, it hadn't really clicked that he was the Avatar. That really served as a wakeup call. And not just for me."

I didn't know what to say, and it didn't look like she expected me to say anything at all, so we lapsed into silence until the village came into sight.

Well, calling it a _village_ would be a bit generous. It was more like a hunter's lodge. But the important thing was that they were prepared to buy Stinkella. It probably helped that we were selling her for five gold pieces- about a fifth of what I paid for her.

**--**

**I never liked the concept of the giant drill. It always seemed too Superfriends for me. Okay, not quite _Superfriends _(I remember seeing one Superfriends plot that involved the Legion of Doom shrinking the U.N. Building and hiding it in a volcano, so the Superfriends had to go and get it, but it turned out that it _wasn't_ the U.N., and was instead a power source that no evil could touch, so the Legion had duped the Superfriends into getting it for them... sorry, I'm getting off topic), but too close for comfort.**

**Seriously, a giant _drill_?**

**Anyway, since I view fanfic as essentially practice for writing _real_ fiction (in much the same way that I play other musicians' songs to practice my bass) I am going to try out different things in this story. So say hello to my first OC, Field Marshall Qiqiang. His name means "Strength and Enlightenment", and I like him.**

**Also, happy non-specific holiday season. Have a festive drink of port. Unless you're under age. Or a teetotaller.**


	12. Wait and Listen

**Chapter Twelve: Wait and Listen.**

--

The Guardian.

I was in my first official battle today. After all the subterfuge and politicking that I've been involved in lately, it was refreshingly simple. You kept an eye on your back, and (optionally) the backs of anyone wearing the right colour uniform, and stabbed anyone wearing the _wrong _uniform. No having to try and pull off obfuscating stupidity (or apathy, if you prefer), no judgement calls where it's clear that if you choose wrong, you won't know it for months, if ever. Just pure, cathartic violence.

However, there was one moment...

I'll have to think about what exactly Azula meant with that gesture.

Oh, my life got complicated again. Oh well, at least it's familiar.

--

The Assassin.

It was a warm evening fr this time of year, and I was sneaking up on the earthbender again.

It had started with another disastrous attempt to get the Avatar to earthbend. His airbender training had got the best of him once again, and his teacher had yelled at him once again for it. This time, however, Katara had leapt to his defence, and the two had almost come to blows, finally opting instead (to my eternal relief- I had seen just how dangerous the earthbender could be during her daily practice sessions) to storm off in opposite directions. After we had given them their space, taking the time to prepare dinner (unleavened bread with vegetables and my seal jerky for everyone except the Avatar, foolish vegetarian that he is), he had gone in search of Katara, directing me to look for the earthbender instead.

So here I was, coincidentally (or not, perhaps) back at the cliff edge where I had been trapped. It seemed like years ago, but it couldn't have been more than a week.

I stopped as soon as the earthbender was in sight. She knew I was there, but made no sign. Idly, I wondered why the Avatar had specified I go after the earthbender. Out of all of them, she was the one I had established the least of a rapport with, probably due to my disastrous first impression. Since I had joined the group, she had been wary around me, distrustful. I understood that, and accordingly made no particular effort to win her over. That would have looked ridiculously suspicious.

On reflection, that was probably exactly why the Avatar sent me after her. Interfering busybody.

I took a few steps forward, making no effort to mask my steps. The earthbender turned to 'look' at me.

"Come to try and cut my head off again?"

Most people would have thought that accusing, but the way she said it changed the meaning. It was a lifeline.

"Only if you _really _want me to."

She chuckled. Half-heartedly, true, but she still chuckled. I took this as a good sign, and moved until I was standing next to her.

"You mind if I sit down?"

Her only response was to scoot over slightly, which I took as a 'yes', and flopped down. She broke the silence a few moments later.

"You here for any particular reason?"

"Dinner, but it'll keep for a little while."

I think that threw her. "Oh?"

"Yeah. I thought we could talk a bit. Since, you know, we kind of got off on the wrong foot."

She snorted. "You could say that. Okay. Let's talk. What you wanna talk about?"

Ah. You called my bluff.

Well... "Anything bothering you? I mean, everyone seems wound pretty tight right now and I was wondering..."

She stared unseeingly at the sunset.

"It's Aang. He's frustrating as hell."

Well. That was direct.

"He's got the skills, but he's got no _balls_. I mean, I've tried _everything_, shouting at him, punching him, taking his nuts away-"

Wait, what?

"Wait, what?" That _cannot_ be what it sounds like.

With a grin, she pulled out a small bag, labelled with a crude drawing of the Avatar's head.

"A bag of nuts. I took 'em."

"And... did he get the implications of that?"

Her grin was now decidedly evil. "Don't think so." She smashed one's shell, and ate the contents with obvious enjoyment. "Want one?"

"... I'll pass, thanks." With the horrible, _terrible_ mental images in my head right now, the last thing I want to do right now is anything that can be referred to as 'eating the Avatar's nuts'. Call me squeamish.

"...But he just won't _rise_." She seemed to deflate. "And Katara's not helping any, talking about how _easy _it was to get him waterbending, and how _far _he's progressed... ugh." She trailed off. "Can we drop this?"

Hmm.

"Sure. Well, now you've answered my question, was there anything you wanted to know?"

She thought for a moment. "Actually, yeah. You remember the first night you joined us?"

"Uh... yeah."

"What were you actually doing? I recognised some of the movements, but it was weird."

Weird? I am insulted. "My stone forms. One of my sword fighting stances."

"Huh." She nodded. "Who taught you that? It doesn't seem very fire-nation-y."

Ah, all the subtlety and tact of a boulder to the crotch. How apt.

I had to stop myself from puffing out my chest. "Well, I actually made it up myself, based on a whole bunch of techniques I read about-"

"I thought so," she declared, interrupting me before I could get into the really interesting stuff (like how most of the stances were based off southern earthbending forms, but the arm work was patterned after a swordsman from Ba Sing Se, who had written a scroll on the subject over a hundred years ago and-). "It's odd." She stood up, and motioned that I do the same. "Come on. Get into the stance."

Ooo...kay?

I draw my sword, and lean the sheath up against a rock. Taking a few half steps into the open, I slide into my basic stone stance, both hands on my sword.

To my side, the earthbender nodded. "Uh huh, uh huh. Now, just run through a few basic moves."

Mentally shrugging, I complied.

My sword chops downward in a powerful stroke, and slides sideways into a diagonal block while my stance shifts in preparation for-

"Alright, I've seen enough."

I dropped my stance, fighting annoyance.

"What was that about?"

"It's like I thought. You're doing it wrong."

_Wrong?_

"How can I be 'doing it wrong'? I made it up, didn't I?"

She looked _insufferably _smug. "Well, if you're trying to base it on earthbending, you're doing it wrong." She sighed, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, it's not actually _technically_ incorrect, but it's like... you've seen how the music's written and never heard it played."

I tried to keep calm. She was only trying to help. I think.

"Well, what exactly should I do to improve?"

"You're too stiff, and you're doing too much with your arms."

Okay, what does that mean? "You couldn't be more specific, could you?"

"Sure." She hopped off the rock she had been perched on, and tapped her foot on the ground. Instantly, the ground beneath my feet shifted, and I was thrown onto my back.

"See? Your stance was too rigid. The point of earthbending stances is to be able to weather anything, but you can't do that if you're a statue. You've got to make a call on what you can stand-" here she dug into the earth with her heel, and the ground bucked beneath me, hurling me upwards. I just barely managed to land on my feet "and what you've got to adapt for."

"I think I get it. But what do you mean 'I'm doing too much with my arms'?"

"Strength in earthbending doesn't come from your arm muscles, I imagine that's firebender territory. It comes from your back, and your core strength. Start your movement from the shoulder, and keep your stance strong, but not stiff." She moved over, and I noted not for the first time how incredibly tiny she was- barely up to my elbow- and jabbed my back. "This is what you need to concentrate on first. Hold your stance properly, and you can stand up to anything. Now, try again, and do it properly."

It took half an hour, and every time I got it wrong, Toph would either hit me with something, or nitpick. But after half an hour, I think I got it. And she was right, too. It did feel a lot better.

Toph waved her arms, and the packed dust rose into a crude mannequin holding a rod of dirt. At her command, the puppet began to move.

"This is what you looked like half an hour ago."

I was almost distracted by the incredible display of earthbending, but I could see the glaring flaws in the puppet's movement.

"...I wasn't _this_ bad, was I?"

"Exactly this bad." She grinned, and waved her arms. "And you walk like this, too." The puppet doubled over, and dragged its knuckles along the floor while walking in a waddling, flat-footed way.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Well, thanks for the impromptu lesson, Toph, but we really should get back to camp. Dinner's been ready for a while. They're gonna start thinking I've thrown you off the cliff or something."

"Ha. As if. I could take you with both arms behind my back," she scoffed.

She probably could, if it came down to it.

--

The Guardian.

We moved towards the town, a platoon of Royal Guard at our backs. This particular battle had been the cause of some disagreement between Azula and the Field Marshall. He had thought that we should wait until our heavy support was in the area, but Azula had decided that she had been cooped up long enough, and had opted to take direct control of the battle. After a little while, she had got her way.

So it was that we three were leading the assault on the town proper, while another three platoons were going into the caverns. I didn't envy them much.

The sound of heavy booted feet is oppressive, and the complete lack of opposition is making everyone paranoid. I keep glancing over my shoulder, even though I haven't heard anything. The lack of noise is probably about as telling as anything else.

We're at a crossroads when it happens. The ground comes alive with earthbenders, and the unit is thrown into complete confusion. Simultaneously, the roofs are suddenly bristling with enemies.

Alright. Let's get on with this.

There's a beat of silence, and it suddenly occurs to me how _odd_ some of these earthbenders look. None of them seem to be wearing shirts, for example, and some of them are wearing full-face masks. Sensible, I guess. I know if _I_ looked like some of these bozos, _I_ wouldn't want anyone knowing who I was either.

The ground shakes. Literally. Thundering down one of the crossroads is quite simply the biggest man I have ever seen. Seriously, he has to be about eight feet tall, and at least four feet wide. It's grotesque.

The monster bares its teeth. Okay, I retract my previous statement about this beast being grotesque. _Now_ he's grotesque.

"Hippo _mad_!"

There's no time to reflect on the stupidity of that battle cry, since suddenly the ground has leapt up and is attacking us. To my right, Ty Lee is trying to strike a scrawny man on all fours, and Azula is dodging the strikes of what looks like Admiral Zhao, plus a cape and about seventy pounds and minus his shirt. There's a rumbling in the earth, and I step back just in time to avoid a squat, hairy man in funny little glasses who pops out of the ground and tries to grab me.

...Well, at least they're colourful.

I kick the man in his teeth, and he yelps. But there's no time to follow through, because suddenly there's a new player, a huge muscle-bound man, knocking royal guardsmen aside like ninepins. Azula spins, blasting him with a stream of fire, and he doesn't even blink, just pulls up a wall of earth to take the attack for him, and keeps barrelling towards us.

"Retreat! Fall back and regroup!" Azula made a judgement call. For what it's worth, I think it was the right idea. Risking a glance around, we've lost almost half the platoon in less time than it takes to boil an egg.

On the command, we scatter, dodging down alleyways, pursued by different earthbenders. My pursuer is a wild, hairy man, thin as a rake and as crazy looking as they come.

I don't have the energy to run all the way out of town, so I draw a knife, and spin around.

He's cautious, padding in a wide circle around me, rock in hand. I raise an eyebrow.

Suddenly, with absolutely no warning whatsoever, he bursts into flame. Ten paces away, I can feel the raw heat curling my eyebrows, and I involuntarily take a step back. In seconds, all that remains is charred and blackened bones and the nauseating smell of roasted flesh, and Princess Azula steps around the corner.

Then comes the weird part. She gives me what can only be described as a _look_. I'm... not entirely sure what she's trying to convey. 'I saved you, you owe me'? Unlikely. She knows that guy couldn't have taken me down. 'Look what I can do'? I already knew that. 'Remember how strong I am, so you'd better not get any ideas'? ...Maybe.

But there's no time to consider this, because the earth is shaking again, and that huge man mountain is right behind us. So I'll run now, and think about it later.

But one thing is for sure. I won't be getting much sleep tonight.

**--**

**Wow. It's like the plot is almost moving.**


	13. Are You Going to Ba Sing Se?

**Chapter Thirteen: Are You Going to Ba Sing Se?**

**--**

The Assassin.

It was early in the morning. I had forced myself to get up early after getting to sleep late, standing guard as long as I could. After all, since I wasn't actually doing all that much during the day, I had been able to nap in spare moments. Didn't make getting up with the sun any more pleasant, though.

In retrospect, it was a very good thing that I did.

I noticed it soon after I got up, but it took a while to actually register what I was looking at. A thin grey plume.

Checking the position of the sun, which was little more than an orange smear on the horizon, I pulled out my map before waking everyone up. It paid to be sure.

In the end, I had to climb up to the cliff above our camp and look through my spyglass before I was certain.

Yep. We were screwed. Now my priority was waking everyone up. But I had spent at least ten minutes climbing up this cliff, and would take at least ten minutes to climb down, time I didn't really want to waste.

Hmm...

Well, I had been wondering about this, and now would be a good time to test, for future reference if nothing else. If it doesn't work, I can just shout.

I began to stomp on the earth. Hard. I made sure to keep it completely irregular too, with absolutely no rhythm. Just so she couldn't get used to it.

Muffled cursing from below me after a few seconds indicated that my idea seemed to have worked.

With a rumble, Toph appeared in front of me, riding a huge column of earth. She didn't look pleased.

"_You_," she hissed, "had better have a _very_ good reason for doing that. If you don't, _no one will ever find the body. _I _swear_ it."

"The Fire Nation has taken Gaoling. We have to get out of here."

--

The Guardian.

Okay, it's time for the Battle of Gaoling, Round Two. This time, we're mixing things up a little. Azula & Co. will be leading the assault on the underground caverns that actually make up most of the town, while the Field Marshall's forces will be having a go at defeating the weirdos in the town. Well, they can hardly do worse than us.

Of course, we shouldn't actually be able to _get_ to the caverns from this side of the town, as the main force yesterday had found to their dismay (and dismemberment, in more than a few cases- the earthbenders had created dummy tunnel entrances that they collapsed when our soldiers tried to get in), but Azula's all giddy about this 'secret rear entrance' the scouts found. And maybe I'm just perverse, but that just sounds wrong.

(Seriously, after Azula described, with obvious delight, how we were going to 'penetrate their rear entrance', I had to come down with a hacking cough. I think Ty Lee got the joke, but Azula didn't even notice.)

Anyway, that was why we were standing outside in the freezing cold in the middle of the night, while three soldiers with pickaxes chipped away at a pile of rubble that looked like a disused mine shaft. I took a moment to admire the surprisingly lush greenery in this little grove. It was quite pleasant.

A pickaxe punched through the blocked wall, and were were suddenly assaulted by a truly _vile_ smell. In fact, the word 'vile' doesn't do it justice. This smell had a physical presence, and this physical presence punched you in the face, kicked you while you were down, called your mother a whore and then stole your wallet. While passing wind the entire time.

Ty Lee looked revolted, and mimed vomiting, and Azula wrinkled her nose, before tying a scarf in front of her face. None of the soldiers had quite as dramatic reactions, but I guessed that they were trained for this sort of thing.

(Actually, it turned out that the unit had been part of the subjugation of the Northern Air Temple. Apparently the kook who lived there with his kooky enclave had found a way to literally _weaponise_ smell. After that, everything else was a breeze.)

Suddenly, realisation hit. Lush greenery, unholy stench, 'back-door entrance'...

Oh Great Agni, we're invading via the privy.

--

The Assassin.

"Aang, wake up." Katara shook the Avatar by his shoulders, and he blinked into conciousness.

"Wxlfrgl"

Wonderful. We don't have time for this.

I bend over, grabbing him by his forearm, and drag him upright. Katara looks scandalised, and the Avatar, now he's actually awake, looks uncharacteristically annoyed.

Frankly, he's just lucky I didn't go with my first option, which would have been to kick him a few times.

"Wake up. We have to move." Behind me, Toph is hauling the last of the bags onto the bison's saddle.

"What's going on?" the Avatar demanded. So I filled him in.

"The Fire Nation made some advances in the night. They're past Gaoling."

And that doesn't make sense. There are several trails of smoke that can only point to Fire Nation machinery. Most are taking the main road to the capital, but three are heading this way. But how are they moving so _fast_? I guess I'll have time to look once we're in the air.

"How long do we have?"

"Not long enough for my liking. Now let's go."

The Avatar stopped short. "Where?"

Is that _really _important right now?

"Ba Sing Se" I suggest. It makes the most sense, and besides, it's about time the Avatar started to integrate with the population.

His brow wrinkled, but he nodded. "I guess so."

"Good. Let's move."

--

The Guardian.

After a long and unpleasant walk/crawl through the dark tunnel (I'll be kinder than Azula was and spare you the trip) we emerged in an absolutely _minuscule_ room, apparently a disused public toilet or something. Of course, since it was disused, the doorway at _this_ end was blocked up too. Needless to say, no one was particularly happy about this, especially since this time there was no room to swing a pickaxe.

"Get back in the tunnel," Azula ordered.

Well, my clothes already need to be scrubbed with _fire_, so why not? After all, there's only so much more mud (I am choosing to think of it as mud, and I will _continue _to think of it as mud for as long as humanly possible) that my clothes can absorb.

We all backed into the tunnel, pushing back the majority of the soldiers, who were still in there, and the air suddenly got a lot warmer. There was an explosion, and a hail of dust as the blockage crumbled.

"Alright, let's move."

We piled out of the Room of Stench, and into the cavern proper.

I'll admit, it was fairly impressive. It was shaped like a dome, with a spiralling walkway around the edge, providing access to small hovels apparently carved into the rock, and the whole thing was lit by hundreds of glowing crystals, with a hole in the top to let in sunlight and (at the moment, anyway) moonlight. However, it was the space in the middle that caught my eye. It appeared to be a storage area for foodstuffs, with several penned-off areas for animals, and near the edge, out of any possibility of rain, several boxes and piles of sacking.

Every one of them had been burned. The animals were dead, the sacks of food ignited, every usable thing destroyed.

My first thought, stupidly, was that this was the result of another bout of posturing from Azula, and that her fireball had been more powerful than I had thought. This was rightly disregarded as ridiculous.

Azula had a fireball dancing in her palm, highlighting the look of pure _rage_ on her face, and she suddenly launched a plume of blue into the air, illuminating the scene.

The entire cavern was empty and lifeless. Stripped of everything that could be taken, and the rest had been destroyed.

"Scorched Earth," one of the soldiers behind us murmured. "They knew we were coming."

Well, duh. We weren't exactly all that subtle yesterday, swaggering in like we owned the place.

Azula stalked over to one of the animal pens, and peered over at the corpse of a pig-chicken.

"They can't have been gone long," she declared. What she planned to do with this information was frankly beyond me. If she thought she could chase down a couple of hundred refugees with one platoon of firebenders, she's even crazier than I thought.

It seemed I wasn't alone in thinking that.

"What are your orders, princess?" the lieutenant in command of the platoon asked.

Azula was quiet for a moment. "...We'll head for the main entrance, and assist the assault on the town. The civilians aren't important. Besides, it's not like we don't know where they're going." By the end of the sentence, she had recovered her composure, and her smirk had returned. I know how she feels. It's nice to have a plan.

--

The Assassin.

Once we were in the air, I allowed myself to relax a little, and I may have drifted off for a moment. For whatever reason, I don't remember much until I felt a jab in my side, and Katara pointed down at the ground. I peered over.

Well, well, the Serpent's Pass. Quite a sight. I guess from up here it's pretty easy to see how it got its name.

But Katara wasn't pointing at that. In the plain before the pass, charging towards it, there were two machines I had heard about, but never actually seen. The Behemoth.

It's an armoured troop carrier, fast and well armed, and able to carry up to thirty men. These must have been the source of those plumes of smoke. The Fire Nation has sent them forward to secure their objectives. Damnit. That's pretty bad.

"Look! What's that?"

Katara was pointing to a couple of tiny moving blobs heading towards the Pass. I pulled out my spyglass and handed it to her. After a moment, she gasped.

"Aang! There are people down there! We have to help them!"

"What? Where?"

"Just head down, they're right below us!"

The bison lurched, and dropped like a stone. No. More like several tonnes of fluffy monster dropping out of the sky. I'm pretty sure some major internal organs got lodged in my throat, and I grabbed for the nearest solid object, which turned out to be Toph's arm. I quickly scrabbled for something else instead, and managed to latch on to the edge of the saddle.

You know, on reflection, I think I quite like walking. Can we do that next time? Sure, it's not as fast, and the view's not quite as good, but there are loads of good things about it, like the fact that it's-

Without warning, the creature stopped dead, and I opened my eyes. We were about a foot or two above the ground, and everyone was leaping off the back of the beast. I took a moment to survey the scene.

A few paces in front of us were two people, a man and a woman, both fairly young, and the woman heavily pregnant. Not too surprising, after a hundred years of war, it's pretty standard to marry young and start families as soon as possible. Kids grow up fast too. I mean, look at us. I'm the oldest one here, and I only started shaving this year. Further away but gaining fast were the two Behemoths. The Avatar and Toph were heading to fight them off, while Katara was moving towards the civilians.

...You know, there's not a whole lot I can do here. I mean, it's hard to stab one of these things.

Nevertheless, I headed to support Toph. I figured I could act as her eyes in case she was attacked by a projectile of some kind.

As I ran up to her, she pulled a wall of earth up in front of her target, but the machine barrelled through, not slowing down in the slightest. Gusts of wind to my right indicated that the Avatar was doing what he could, but it wouldn't be enough.

Frustrated, Toph stamped the ground, and several boulders, each the size of an ostrich-horse, leapt from the ground and pummelled the machine. It wavered, and the front was dented, but it kept going, getting closer all the time.

"Okay, starting to worry now." Well, I felt it needed to be said.

Toph stood steady, unmoving. "Give it a second."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure. Wait, wait, ...now."

Suddenly she moved, sending the earth rippling towards the machine, doing... nothing I could see. But the effect was obvious. As the ripple hit the machine, it slowed, then slowed some more, its engines belching smoke, until it crawled to a halt.

I took a step forward, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened, when my foot sank. I glanced down, and saw what Toph had done.

She had turned the ground into dust. Impressive, and clever.

"Well, that's pretty cool, you know."

She acknowledged the praise with a grin.

"But, uh, my foot's still sinking. Could you, you know... give me a hand?"

"Only since you asked so nicely."

Instantly, the dust below my feet solidified, and I was able to pull myself out.

My attention turned to the other battle, and the blood drained from my face.

Katara and the man were trying to carry the pregnant woman over to the bison, but they were moving too slowly, and the Behemoth was almost on them.

_Where was the Avatar?_

I ran towards them, knowing that I would never reach them before that thing, but suddenly the Avatar was there, between them and the machine, staff poised. My first thought was _get her out of there!_ I might have yelled it.

He didn't. He stood his ground, and swung his staff in an overhead motion.

The earth responded.

A wave of stone welled up from the ground, and with a twisted shriek of metal, the Behemoth was hurled into the air, coming to rest with a crash on its side, engines firing uselessly.

...My heart dropped out of my throat.

I headed over to the group on unsteady legs, and patted Aang on the shoulder. He was grinning widely, and I made way so Toph could congratulate him on, in her words "finally growing a pair".

There was a booming clang, and the carriage doors of the behemoth that Aang had disabled swung open. The roof hatch of the other opened, and from both the troops began to pile out.

Ha. Now it's my turn.

A groan distracted me momentarily, and I turned to look at its source.

Oh yeah. The refugees. I forgot about them. Damnit, pregnant women do _not _belong on the battlefield. Katara's face let me know she was thinking the same thing. Right. I'm taking charge of this one.

"Aang, Katara, get these two" I gestured towards the civilians "onto the bison. Get to Ba Sing Se." I glanced to my left, where Toph was looking stern. "Me and Toph can take care of these guys, right?" She nodded, and cracked her knuckles, more for effect than anything else. "We'll take the pass and meet you in Ba Sing Se."

Katara looked worried. "But-"

"No time."

"But-"

"No time for that either."

She looked at me, and nodded. Aang wasn't convinced.

"Are you sure about this?" He glanced at the firebenders, who were getting themselves together.

"Positive." It'll be a lot harder if we have to worry about collateral damage.

"Alright." He leapt onto the bison's head, and Katara lead the woman up its tail. The man turned to me.

"How can we thank you?" Damnit, we don't have _time _for this. _Go!_

"Don't. Just move."

He took the hint, and scrambled onto the monster's back.

"Yip yip!"

The bison leapt into the air, leaving me and Toph with a crowd of about forty confused firebenders.

One teenage swordsman and a twelve year old against forty trained solders.

They don't know quite how much trouble they're in.

**--**

**Before you ask, yes, Mai and Sokka _are_ asynchronous. Why? Because the five hours or so in between are full of Sokka Sleeping and Mai Being Bored And Perhaps Napping. I figured I could spare you that.**


	14. Cognitive Dissonance

**Chapter Fourteen: ****Cognitive Dissonance.**

**Here be violins.**

--

The Guardian.

In the end, it turned out that there wasn't much battle left for us to assist in. The earthbenders had been pretty well subjugated, at the cost of a few houses- turned out that Qiqiang had decided that it would be easier on his men if he bombarded the earthbenders first, destroying a lot of their cover (and more than a few houses, but that's hardly a great loss). All we really had to do was lock up the prisoners somewhere, allocate a garrison for the town and leave them to decide what to do next, and get moving.

The upshot of all this meant that we were soon back in our huge metal transport, roaring across the landscape with gay abandon. I took the opportunity to nap.

--

The Assassin.

Okay. Let's get this show on the road. First step- threat assessment.

Allies- just the one, and she's behind me, and to the left.

Enemies- forty men, but no more than ten of them are benders. That's actually fairly standard proportions. The rest are armed primarily with spears, but they have swords at their sides. They're in several small groups, but the benders are gravitating towards each other. Can't have that.

Hmm... how to play this... I think-

There's no time to think about it any further, as the first soldier rushes towards me, slashing with his sword. With no time to prepare, I step backwards, avoiding his horizontal swing, and bring my sheathed sword down on his clavicle. He buckles, and stumbles towards me. I move forward, and with my left hand draw my short sword, plunging it into his stomach, just below the ribcage.

There's an intake of breath behind me, but it's not important. Toph is the only one behind me, and I didn't hear anyone else moving towards her.

As the man's eyes bug out, and he gasps silently, I push him, and he staggers backwards, me directing him with one hand on my short sword, aiming to keep him staggering backwards towards the knot of firebenders. A rumble to my left indicates that Toph has finally got to work engaging the non-benders, and the firebenders are reluctant to start attacking me from behind my shield.

Another step, and I'm close enough. I kick the man to the ground, and leap over him, drawing my long sword. There's a beat of confusion as I land in their midst, and it's enough. I cut one down before he knows what's happening, and the sheath end of my stick smashes the side of the helmet of another, disorienting him, the shock running all the way up my arm.

Their superior numbers (ni- eight to one) actually work against them here, especially since they're all benders. No one of them can fight at full effectiveness without effectively killing or injuring at least two of his comrades.

The irony is at this rate I'm going to kill or injure _all _of them pretty soon. The sky forms are perfectly suited for this, sword in one hand, stick in the other, quick, agile and unpredictable. My sword slashes across the knuckles of a bender about to launch an attack, severing three of his fingers, while I jab my stick into the face of another, pushing his helmet around until he's blind and sending him careering into another. Ha.

After a flurry, the seven (six) benders pull back, and I have to dodge a fireball by leaping backwards. Damnit, they're regrouping. Can't have that.

Okay, they've pulled back into a tight knot, and they're all aiming at me. Hmm. This could be bad.

...Knives. I'll drop the stick and throw my knives into the fray. Hopefully that'll confuse them long enough to allow me to attack.

Right, they're moving, time to-

As I shrug, dropping a knife into my palm, and the benders launch their attack, a wall of earth springs up between us. A glance to my right reveals Toph, still fighting the remains of the non-benders. She must have noticed my situation.

...Thanks, but I had the situation under control (sort of). Next time, we'll have to iron out some of these issues. For now...

I wheel to the left, leaving my stick in the dirt. As I turn the corner, I come face-to-face with a skull-masked firebender. He brings his palms up, but we're too close for that, and my knife is up and under his ribcage before he can blink. Shoving him forward, I turn the corner, keeping the wall at my back. There are another two benders in front of me, and I slide into my flame stance.

Sword held in one hand, the other stretched behind me for balance, my stance side on. These are all to compensate for the fact that it's my most aggressive form. The small target and good balance gives me enough to use quick thrusts and rolling slashes. It works well against small groups.

They blast in unison, but I take a half-leap to the side, and their blasts go wide. I retaliate, bringing my sword down in a long curve. It slashes one open from the shoulder to the hip.

Firebender armour is layered leather, designed to fight other benders. None of them really expect to be fighting swordsmen. Typical bender arrogance.

As the soldier crumples, I sprint forwards and lunge, putting all my strength from my shoulder into the blow. He takes it to the stomach, and folds around it.

Job done. A glance confirms that Toph is almost done, tossing men around like ninepins. I decide to watch the show. It's pretty spectacular, watching her economic movements- a flick of the wrist, or a twist of the heel- hurl men high into the air, or bury them into the ground.

Wait a second. If there were six guys before Toph pulled up the wall, and I just fought three...

The wall behind me explodes, and I'm thrown to the dirt.

Fuck.

Wasting valuable seconds wondering when I forgot how to _count_, I rolled onto my back, to be confronted with the last three benders. Two were identical, but the third was bleeding from his hand, and I could see that he had lost all but his index finger and thumb. That guy. Well, he wouldn't be too much of a threat. The others...

Actually, I'm kind of screwed.

As I start to get up, I see the foremost one punch his fist forward. Everything seems to slow as I scrabble backwards (not nearly fast enough) and a plume of flame begins to blossom from his knuckles-

and dies as a rock the size of a watermelon smashes into his skull, audibly cracking his head and sending him tumbling to the ground. That's my cue.

My left hand flicks, and my knife buries itself in the throat of another man, while the ground swallows the wounded man up to his neck.

Nice.

I stand up, and walk over to the fallen men. I dig my throwing knife from that guy's throat, and look around for my stick. Oh yeah, it's on the other side of the wall.

On my way, I pass Toph. I guess congratulations are in order.

"Pretty good going there."

I'm expecting something, perhaps some smug reiteration of her talents. So it's a little surprising when she doesn't say anything. Shrugging it off, I went to retrieve my stick, short sword, and other knife, wiping down all my blades before putting them back in their proper sheaths. Once everything was in order, I walked back to Toph.

...Okay, something's wrong. She's just... standing there, looking vacant.

"You okay? You seem a little off. You hurt?"

"Fine."

"...You're sure?"

"I'm _fine_. Can we go?" she snaps, and begins to stomp away. I know better than to pursue the subject.

I frowned, and watched her walk towards the mouth of the pass. She's not limping, there's no visible blood, and I didn't notice any bruising. So what's wrong?

--

The Guardian.

"Mai, get up!"

...Azula. Sending Ty Lee to wake people up is funny the first time, in a sociopathic kind of way, but the second time? Not so much. She exudes levels of perkiness that are hazardous to the drowsy. The symptoms include grumbling, disorientation, and a sudden predilection for violent murder.

"Mai, did you hear me? We're here!"

I blinked. "Where were we going again? I wasn't listening."

She rolled her grey eyes. "We've arrived at Full Moon Bay, and we've got to leave this thing behind and take a boat."

I sighed, and got up, following Ty Lee out of the machine into the weak sunlight. The machine, along with several others of its type, was sitting at the mouth of a narrow pass. I shrugged, and followed Ty Lee down the pass.

The path quickly became steep, and lead eventually to a ferry station, where Azula was waiting, along with a squad of Royal Guard. Huddled in one corner of the cove, trying to look as inconspicuous as two hundred people can, were a whole group of refugees. Looks like we caught them after all.

Azula nodded at me, and I returned the gesture. Out of curiosity, I sidled up to her.

"So. What next?"

She half-turned to look at me. "Once the Field Marshall arrives, we and the Royal Guard will take these ferries" she gestured to point at the two remaining boats stationed at the dock "and meet up with the Northern Army. They're already en route to Ba Sing Se. Once we join them, we are going to set up a great show of besieging the city. From there, we can arrange a meeting with Long Feng, who, with enough persuasion, will allow us access to the city. We remove the Earth King, name Long Feng as substitute, he announces surrender, we kill Long Feng. When the Comet arrives, we concentrate all our forces in the North and melt the Northern Water Tribe. Victory for the Fire Nation."

...Whoa. I actually was thinking in terms of the next day or so, but whatever.

I made my way to the nearest ferry, Ty Lee in tow, and flopped down in a seat. I had a lot to think about.

--

The Assassin.

We made out way through the pass, often walking in single file (or whatever you call it when there are only two people. Longitudinally?) through the rocky pass, Toph always some distance behind me. The silence was cloying, and it was only amplified by the terrain, bouncing off the jagged spikes of rock. I didn't like it.

It wasn't the lack of noise so much, that wasn't a problem. In fact, it may have been an asset- Fire Nation ships had begun to patrol these waters, and the Earth Kingdom were far from nautically capable of stopping them. The quiet made us less noticeable, and let me listen out for any threats.

The problem was how _unnatural _it felt, given my present company. In the week or so that I had known her, it had become apparent that on most days Toph couldn't find quiet with both hands and a map. Not that she could find anything with a map _anyway_, what with them being made of paper, but anyway...

I wonder, is there any way you could make a map for the blind? Perhaps you could take a board, and dribble hot wax in lines to represent roads and such? And then the blind person could trace it with their finger?

No, the heat from their fingers would eventually melt the wax. We'd need something stronger. Perhaps I could carve the lines into the board, kind of like engraving? All I'd need is the right sized bit of wood and a sharp knife. And the ability to draw maps, of course. Hmm, perhaps I should start simple, with words, perhaps. I should really ask Toph about this.

...Except Toph's not talking to me right now. And I don't know why.

Meh, whatever. She'll either get over it, or it'll get brought up soon enough. I've got other things to worry about.

Like what the hell we're going to do next. Perhaps Aang has a plan of what he actually plans to do once he's mastered the elements. Perhaps he's planning on taking this opportunity to make contacts within the upper echelons of the Earth Kingdom society.

And perhaps Princess Azula is a kind-hearted, well meaning flower child, with everyone's best interests at heart. And perhaps Zhao didn't have a face like a monkey.

--

It's later, much later. The sun has set, and we're both sitting in front of a small camp fire. A small pot is bubbling over it; a small vegetable stew, with the rest of the bread just for variety.

I have spent the entire journey in speculation about our next move. It doesn't paint a pretty picture, I'm afraid. I keep trying to avoid it, but it all really comes down to one thing. I'm going to have to leave, and pretty soon.

I mean, here, I'm just another guy. Sure, I can fight, but I've hardly got the monopoly on that. But in the Fire Nation, that's where I can employ my talents.

But before that, there's gonna have to be a whole lot of paperwork to get through. Ugh. I don't like _any_ of this plan. I'll keep thinking, see if I can come up with a better one.

On the other side of the fire, Toph is sitting, listlessly, her face as blank as I had ever seen it. She hadn't moved since she sat down.

Right. That is _it_. To hell with waiting it out, I'm going to find out what's wrong with her _now_. She's _creeping me right the fuck out_.

"Okay, Toph, what's wrong? Are you sick? Are you hurt? Are you practicing mime? Have you taken a vow of silence? Eaten any strange berries? Come on, give me a clue here."

I stood up, and took a step towards her, reaching out my hand to try and... take her temperature, or something. That turned out to be a mistake.

A column of earth flew upwards, grabbing my hand, and Toph whirled to face me.

Shit. She's panicking. Okay, until I can figure out why, stay calm, and look non-threatening. I mean sound non-threatening. Or should I look non-threatening as well? I haven't quite got a handle on the nuances of her earthbending-sense yet. I'll try and look _and _sound non-threatening, just in case.

"Okay, so I'm the problem. Why? Tell me what's wrong, Toph, or I can't help you."

"You don't get it?" She's inhaling madly, and she actually sounds honest-to-spirits _scared_. "_You killed nine people today_."

Oh.

Ah.

Sokka, you are a world-class _moron_. Right up there. You were so eager to see just what this girl here was capable of that you dragged her into a battle without thinking. Sokka, she's _twelve years old_.

You insensitive _bastard_.

"It's not even that" and she flops down, not paying attention to me, and my arm is freed from its prison. "It's not even that I _felt_ their hearts just _stop_. I mean, I should really have _guessed_ that you killed people. I mean, you're covered in sharp metal objects. It's worse. _I_ killed people, more than you. I didn't even _mean _to, I just- I just..."

She's broken down,head in her hands, sobbing like the child she _is and you shouldn't have forgotten that_. Damnit, I wish Aang was here. We could _really_ do with some kind of existential wisdom right now.

But he isn't here. And I have no idea what to say.

"I mean, I'd fought in the ring, and people never _broke _like that, it just, ...I didn't even _realise_ what I was doing, I was just fighting, like I always had. But they didn't... afterwards, I counted all the heartbeats left. Twelve. _I killed nineteen people_."

She's rambling now, talking to herself, drowning in guilt.

Damnit, how do I help her? What do I _say_? I have no idea how to help her cope with it.

_Don't_. _Let her get desensitised to it. She's a great weapon, and this will make her even more useful_.

I can't stop the thought. It's an insidious idea from some black corner of my mind, but I can't stop thinking it. And I instantly hate myself for it.

Spirits preserve me, I'm probably about to do the wrong thing here. But it's too late for me to care.

I sit down on the earth next to her, and tentatively put an arm around her shoulder. She stiffened at my touch, but after a few moments leaned towards me and buried her face in my shirt. I sat there, holding her still, until she cried herself to sleep.

Now, was that the best possible thing I could have done, or the worst?

I guess... I guess at worst it's delayed her crisis. If she can just make it through the next day or so, we'll be at Ba Sing Se and she can talk to someone more qualified to help.

I somehow doubt tomorrow will be much fun.

**--**

**I know, I know, Mai did nothing this chapter. There was nothing she _could_ have done, at least not within the constraints of the plot.**

**As for that whole thing with Toph, I can't decide whether that blew the Good Ship Tokka out of the water, or if it set it going I dub this ship HMS _Tokka_ breaking champagne etc etc. And if so, does that count as Ship Tease? I never meant it to; I just have a story I want to tell. Oh well.**

**Ugh. More internal rhymes.**


	15. Bring the Lemur

**Chapter Fifteen: Bring the Lemur.**

--

The Assassin.

I didn't sleep that night. I couldn't, even if I had intended to. Toph would periodically clench her fists, which would jerk at my shirt, which would cause my shirt to yank at the back of my neck, which would cause the back of my neck to _really hurt_. That didn't bother me _all_ that much, though. It helped me stay awake.

--

The Guardian.

The ferry was... I wish I could say it was dull. Instead, it went out of its way to be as unpleasant as could be. The weather was dreary, and there weren't any seats where I was, so I had the choice between sitting on the floor and standing. For over twenty four _hours_. Fun, fun, fun. And to top it off, when we were fed, the stew tasted like something poisonous. Specifically something poisonous that someone else had already eaten, but had vomited up in time. And that's without mentioning the sea monster.

Yes, apparently this enormous lake has a sea serpent in it. Just, you know, to add exitement. Or something.

_But_ there were a few things that helped me stave off the feeling that jabbing a knife into my brain would be an improvement on my current situation. For starters, Ty Lee had fallen asleep. Finally. Secondly, Azula had vanished, presumably to go and find some better food, or some small animals to torment or something. This meant that I could finally get some thinking done. I've been trying to avoid that recently around Azula, partly because I think she suspects me of something, and partly because I've recently discovered that I have the terrifying habit of thinking out loud if I don't pay attention to what I'm doing.

Anyway, enough preamble. I have things to consider.

Firstly, Zuko. Of course.

Zuko's sudden revolutionary tendencies have made it easier and harder to keep him safe from Azula. Easier because if he has any sense he'll stay far, _far_ away from anywhere his sister might possibly show up (and bear in mind that that's not a given, since this is _Zuko_ we're talking about). Harder because, should Azula ever find him, he'll be dead before you can say 'family barbecue'. It doesn't help that the places he can hide are rapidly running out.

Where could he be? He might be hiding out in Fire Nation territory, but that's not exactly likely. After all, he's... noticeable. Plus, wanted posters are something of a pain. So that leaves either the North Pole- and that raises the question of how exactly he would get in- or...

Oh please don't tell me he's gone to Ba Sing Se. He has, hasn't he?

Fuck.

Okay, Mai, calm down, Ba Sing Se is _huge_. He could live there his entire life and Azula would never know. As long as he doesn't draw attention to himself. Which he almost certainly will.

And that's not all, is it Mai? No, there's another problem with that scenario.

You.

Suppose we take Ba Sing Se without a fuss. Suppose we find no trace of Zuko.

That won't be enough for you, will it? No, you'll want to _check_. You'll look for him; just to be _sure_ he's alright. And that'll be enough, for a while.

Not long enough. Once you know where he is, you'll want to go _see _him, just once in a while. Just for a talk, or two. Perhaps some tea. Perhaps a meal, or to see some entertainment of some kind. And then everything will just spiral inwards, and Azula will notice. No matter how busy she's kept, she'll notice. And she'll find out, and she will _kill him_.

So I'm kind of screwed.

Second thing: Azula. She knows something. Not enough to actually act on it, that's not how she works, but she's suspicious.

And no, she's _not_ giving me the benefit of the doubt, of course not. She's just confident enough in her choice of me as a... handmaiden? Retainer? ..._Companion_, that she'll disregard all evidence to the contrary until it's shoved in her face.

So I have to be the perfect little drone, do I?

No, wait, that'll look like I have something to hide. I guess I'll just have to keep going as I have. I'll just have to keep a tight handle on myself.

And no thinking out loud.

--

The Assassin.

I was staying up for two reasons. Firstly, although Toph had reassured me that there weren't any Fire Nation survivors from our fight, I was sure that sooner or later another squad would be sent to check on them.

Secondly, the ...incident? No, too impersonal. ...Scene? Hmm, no, sounds too patronisingly negative.

Well, whatever you call it, the events yesterday evening had been a serious wakeup call for me.

I couldn't rely on the others. At all. None of them could do what I could see needed to be done, if we were ever to win this war.

And I should have figured that out a lot sooner. Hell, I never should have assumed otherwise.

No. Enough beating myself up about that. There'll be time for that later.

And there'll be time to sleep in the grave.

The Avatar is not enough to win this war. There. I said it. He's powerful, certainly; after all, he's the _Avatar_, but that's not going to be enough, not by a long shot.

He's going to need backup. Well, the only places we'll find that are the North Pole and Ba Sing Se. If we talk to the right people, convince them that we can win before the Comet arrives, then we might have a chance. Aang can do that. He's an inspiring presence, as long as he can master the elements quickly enough. I have faith in him, as far as that goes.

The second thing that needs to happen is a lot of people need to die. The Fire Nation, no matter what you say about it, is _very_ good at what it does. There are some highly skilled people in high ranked positions within the Fire Nation Military. As many of them as possible have to die for any assault to even have a chance.

This, Aang can _not_ do. Hell, he can't even _think_ like that. Which is why I'm here, I guess.

The sun nudged over the horizon, and I gently shook Toph.

"Come on. It's time to get moving if we want to make it to Ba Sing Se before sundown."

She blinked, and jerked away from me.

"Oh. ...Uh, sorry about..."

Oh no you don't.

"It's okay. Don't apologise."

I _really_ don't want to have this conversation, and she shouldn't have it with me. So I got up, wincing as my joints _cracked_, and busied myself cleaning out the uneaten gunk that used to be stew from the bowl. I threw Toph one of the pieces of bread- it was getting stale, but still edible, and tore into one myself. Blech.

"Okay, let's get moving."

--

About two hours later- two uncomfortably quiet hours later- we ran into difficulties. We also ran out of path.

Okay, that's not too much of a problem.

"Toph, do you think you could pull up a path?"

"Sure," she said. She didn't sound it, though.

She managed it, though. She was less steady than she normally was, but she raised a path.

"Thanks."

She just nodded, and we began to cross.

We're about halfway across, Toph in front, when it happens. Something hits the path. Something _big_.

Toph jerked backwards as the water around us began to froth. No! Don't go _backwards_! _Forwards, damnit_!

"_Run_!"

But there's no time, because the water explodes, and...

We're dead. Probably.

I mean, it's a giant sea serpent. We're on a strip of land less than three feet wide. Not the ideal place to fight huge monsters.

Run? We're not fast enough. The thing could eat us from anywhere on the path by just moving its neck.

Damnit, its times like this I wish the lemur was here. We could feed it to the sea monster and run while it was distracted.

The beast roars, and I make a mad dash forwards as it smashes down on top of where I had been moments ago. The shock runs all through the path, and I fall flat on my face.

Right. That's _it_. Next time I go anywhere that there's even a _chance_ of mild peril, I'm taking the lemur with me.

I pulled myself upwards, to see Toph standing still. I stopped analysing the scene after I noticed this.

"What're you _doing_? Get to land! Go!"

That didn't seem to be enough to convince her. I glanced behind me.

Oh.

"_Move!_"

As she (finally) began to run, I followed, mentally rifling madly through my inventory, hoping for something I could use. The beast's head had lowered, and it looked like it was preparing for another strike. Hitting it with a sword would get me declared Too Stupid to Live and promptly eaten, throwing knives would annoy it at absolute best, smoke bombs...

Now there's an idea.

An ear-shattering roar told me that this plan had better work. Fishing the five dark grey orbs out of my bag, I span on my heel and threw, my arm curling horizontally. Halfway through the motion I realised that my throw was going to land me on my ass, so this had better work.

It did.

My smoke bombs are made of of a certain kind of black powder in a stiff paper casing, surrounding a tiny lump of blasting jelly. The resulting device... doesn't like to be thrown at things. It's not really dangerous, but there's a flash and a bang and lots of smoke. I designed them so I could throw them at an opposing wall if I ever needed to distract someone.

No, they won't work if I just throw them at my feet. That wouldn't do anything but hurt my toes and start me coughing. Don't be stupid.

Two of the bombs fell short, but the others hit dead on, and by a miracle, one managed to get into the beastie's mouth. Disoriented, confused, blinded, and plagued by ringing teeth, the creature reared up, and shook its head.

All this managed to distract me from the fact that my ass was in pain, but before I could get up off my back and run, the ground beneath me rippled, and I was suddenly riding a wave of earth all the way to the other side, to be deposited at Toph's feet.

"Okay," she declared. "Now we run, right?"

"Right."

--

Several hours later, I was sure I was getting blisters, and the back of my left shoe was rubbing the back of my foot raw.

We _were_ at the Outer Wall, though, so it's not like it was all bad.

The hunched old general was very welcoming, and directed us to the tram that would take us to the city. Unfortunately, he insisted on holding a long animated conversation about how great his wall was, and this team of his which was super-neat.

I tried to listen. I swear. But it had been a _long_ day.

Eventually, we were pointed to seats on the tram, and I flopped down into blissful unconsciousness.

--

Toph's Elbow (capital E for Extremely painful) woke me up just in time for us to get off the tram, where I noted that the sun was almost down.

...When did that happen?

After a few seconds, I noticed that someone was standing in front of us. A female someone, with the widest and fakest grin I had ever seen.

Seriously. It was like she had been subjected to hideous facial scarring or something.

"You must be the Avatar's companions! Welcome to Ba Sing Se!"

Plus she had a voice as melodious as a buzzard-wasp's.

"...Hi. You know where Aang is?"

"Certainly! But where are my manners? I am Joo Dee. I will be your... host while you are in our city. If you will come with me, I will show you to the house we have prepared for you!"

House? Well, that doesn't sound too bad. Toph looks... actually, kind of mad, though. That's... strange.

Oh well. "Okay. Lead away."

"Wonderful! If you'll just follow me we can start the tour!"

...Tour?

That sounds... indirect.

Ugh, it looks like bed is a long, long way away yet.

Plus, I think I'm starting to need to use the bathroom. Perfect.

**--**

**The chapter title caused pain. As did computer troubles.**


	16. Aftershocks

**Chapter Sixteen: Aftershocks.**

--

The Assassin.

An hour. It took an _hour_ to get to the house we had been given, since we went about as slowly as we possibly could, and occasionally _stopped_ to be shown some nice architecture. Joo Dee seemed blissfully unaware that neither of us was in the mood to look at buttresses, or whatever it was she thought we were fascinated with. Plus, her grin never left her face. I checked.

Either she has something pulling the sides of her mouth open (perhaps string), or she's been eating some strange berries. Either way, she's creepy as hell.

--

After several years of tourism, we were dropped off at a rather nice house in the upper ring, with the welcome news that the others were already inside, and the far less welcome news that Joo Dee would be over in the morning to escort us wherever we wanted to go.

I have no idea how to deal with _that_ kind of threat. All I could do was ask if we could meet with either the Earth King or the Council of Five, the military leaders of Ba Sing Se. My request was treated with the broad grin that had become typical, and the reply that my request for an audience would be processed as quickly as possible.

With that, the crazy woman retreated to her carriage and drove away, grinning as she went. Like I said- _creepy_.

When we made our way inside, we were greeted by the sight of Katara and Aang lounging around, apparently in a state of extreme boredom. Aang in particular seemed to have suffered some kind of debilitating disease, one which turned his bones into jelly, judging from the way he was draped over one chair.

"Sokka! Toph! How was your trip?" Well, Katara was in a good mood. And I'm in no state of mind to reiterate the events of our walk.

"Eh." That'll do. "Anything interesting happen at your end?"

Aang sat up, his gaze deathly. "Sokka. Next time, _you_ do the flying. I'll walk. Better yet, how about we _never_ give lifts again?"

Oo...kay? "Why? What happened?"

Katara waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, he's just cranky because the woman went into labour mid-flight."

"_What?_" Ah. Toph _can_ speak. Good.

Katara nodded. "Yeah. It was... an experience, that's for sure."

"It was horrifying, that's what it was," Aang retorted, melodrama seeping into every syllable.

"That's nice, really, but where's my bed? No, first, where's the bathroom?"

Yes, okay, I killed the conversation. It wasn't going anywhere I was interested in, anyway.

--

"...ake up. Sokka, wake _up_."

Hmm? Gimmie a minute.

Okay, Li/Lo/Azula, who do you want me to kill _this_ time?

I rolled over, and opened my eyes.

"...You're not an old lady."

The girl in blue looks... nonplussed, to say the least. "What?"

"You're not a princess, either. What's going on?"

"Sokka, wake _up_. We've got a problem."

I blearily glance out the window. The sky is dark grey.

"Couldn't it wait until the sun is up, at least?"

"Sokka, something's wrong with Toph."

The words are like ice down the back of my neck. Well, at least I'm awake now.

"What happened?" I sit up, and pull my shirt on.

"I think she had a nightmare, and she started earthbending. In her sleep. You must have felt the tremors."

"I was asleep, remember?"

Katara shook my perfectly reasonable point away. "But she was going to destroy the house if Aang hadn't managed to wake her up. Sokka, she's practically hysterical."

Yeah. I'd expected something like this. I scowl at the ground, and my silence lasts for long enough for Aang's voice to float over from the next room. I can't make out what he's saying, though.

"Sokka," Katara's voice is little more than a breath. "What _happened_ out there?"

Huh. The big question.

"Katara..." no. This isn't the place for it. "Let's go for a walk. Does this house have a garden?"

"...Yeah, but-"

"Cool. I want to see the garden. Let's go see the garden, shall we? It's early spring, some flowers should be blooming. Don't you like flowers?"

Finally, she takes the hint, and I follow her out of the door.

--

The Guardian.

After a while, my mood improved, and I decided to keep a look out for this sea monster, just for the fun of it. Who knows, I might just see something.

As it turned out, I actually saw _less_ than I might otherwise have, since the sudden and crashing halt we were brought to caught me completely by surprise, and I was flung over the railing.

Oh this is not good. It's not that I can't _swim_, but it's more that all of my limbs are weighed down by delicate and quite heavy devices (why did I decide to wear my ankle launchers today?) and my clothes, not the lightest things to begin with, are getting waterlogged, and the water is going over my head, and I _hate_ getting water in my eyes and oh Agni is this how I go out-

Abruptly, my feet touched ground. Not knowing or really caring how that had come about, I kicked upwards and waved my arms wildly in what I hoped was a proper stroke (okay, I haven't swum in five years). I think I was making progress- it's hard to tell since I kept my eyes shut- when my wrist was grabbed, and suddenly Ty Lee was pulling me back on board.

Great. Now I'm soaked. Plus, I have to take all my dart launchers apart and dry them or they'll break.

"What did we hit?"

Ty Lee frowned. "I don't know. Probably a rock."

I glanced around. We were passing through the ford that bisects the Serpent's Pass, so that we could meet up with the Northwest Army. Except we had hit something, and so we had stopped.

Whatever. I need to go change, and fix my launchers before they become totally unusable.

--

The Assassin.

The garden is small, but well maintained, with a few early flowers in bloom. I made my way over to an ornamental wall, and sat on it.

"Okay, Sokka, what's going on?"

Katara's patience is running thin. But I don't know how much to tell her.

"It's... not really my place to say. I'll tell you what I can, though."

She nods her acceptance, and I continue. "It's... about the fight with the Fire Nation."

Her eyes shot open. "What happened? Is she hurt?"

"No, nothing like that. It's just... it shocked her. Throwing her into a battle like that... I shouldn't have done that. She wasn't ready for that kind of thing." And she shouldn't have been.

"Oh." She thinks she understands. I think I disagree.

Maybe I should tell her. Spirits know I need to get this off my chest.

"Katara?" Aang's voice is suddenly loud in the pre-dawn air. "Do you mind if I talk to Sokka for a minute?"

Katara lowers her eyes, and silently walks back into the house. We're left alone with the silence.

"She told me to ask you. What _happened_ out there?"

Okay. Here goes.

"I fucked up."

Aang frowns. "You wanna explain a little?"

"When I made the call, I was always gonna pick one of you three to give me support. I picked Toph, partly because I didn't want Katara getting hurt, but mostly because I had seen what she could do, and I wanted to see how she handled a fight." No holding back here. I guess it's confession time.

Aang looked worried. "Did she... not do well? Was she hurt?"

I shook my head. "Completely the opposite. She killed about twenty soldiers, without taking a scratch."

Aang is silent. My guess is he's faced this problem himself. I hope, for his sake as well as Toph's, that he's found a way to cope with it.

"I... see." He's quiet. Very flat.

"She wasn't expecting them to get killed so easily. I guess that she's only fought earthbenders before, and they'd be ready for her?"

"You'd be right on that," he murmurs, watching the sun peak over the wall.

We stay there, watching the sad excuse for a sunrise, for a while.

"I'm sorry." I don't know why I choose then to say it. It just... blurts out.

Grey eyes blink, honestly confused. "Why?"

"It was my fault. It shouldn't have turned out like this."

He frowned. "How would you rather it turned out? What would you have changed?"

"I..." he's got a point. There's not much I could have done to change the way things have gone. "...I don't know. But I'd rather it not be like this."

Aang shrugged. "Well that's life. Sokka, don't try to take responsibility for everything that happens. Sometimes... sometimes life just flows that way, and you gotta flow with it."

Great, Avatar-ly wisdom amounts to 'well, shit happens, you know?' Real useful.

The sun is almost over the wall before he speaks again.

"How do you deal with it?"

No need to ask for clarification. "I apologised. I told them I was sorry."

"Does it help?"

"...Sometimes. Not much, though."

"...Oh."

"What about you?"

He's so quiet I think he stopped breathing. "I- I try not to."

Try not to _what_? Do it, or think about it? Probably both.

"I see."

I shook my head, and stood, stretching. "Aang, do what you can for her." I doubt he needs telling, but it feels good to say. "Unless you need me right now, I'm going to go for a walk. I need to clear my head. Plus I don't want the crazy-smiling lady to catch me."

--

The Guardian.

I had requisitioned a tiny room with a table, as well as a horribly scratchy set of Earth Kingdom clothes. Currently, I was dismantling and laying aside all the delicate components that made up my dart launchers. It was a slow, boring and difficult task, and I frankly could not be _bothered_.

_But_, I knew that if I didn't do it now, I'd forget, try to use one later, and it would either gum up, collapse, or snap at some awkward moment, jabbing me in the arm with a rusty shard of metal, which would lead to me dying slowly and painfully of tetanus. So t was in my best interests, really. Didn't mean I was any more enthusiastic about it.

What made it more entertaining was the fact that Azula had decided that she had _nowhere_ better to be than right in this tiny room with me. Why? What possible interest could she derive from me grumbling about ruined flights and damp string?

"Did you know what we hit?"

Well, I might as well make conversation.

"A wall. From the surface, it had been washed away, but underwater most of it had been left intact."

Oh, okay.

"Do you know what that means?"

...There's a team of insanely dedicated builders out there that were given hilariously yet tragically inaccurate plans?

"It means an earthbender went through the Serpents' Pass less than a day ago."

Well, we _are_ in the Earth Kingdom, you know. This _is_ where you'll get earthbenders.

...But there's that look in her eyes, and that tone of voice, like she's just revealed something of great importance.

...No, she couldn't think...

She does. She actually thinks that this counts as evidence in her hunt for the _Avatar_.

Oh, Azula, your insane paranoia and obsession with Destiny and Fate would be _so_ amusing, and possibly even endearing, if you didn't have the power over life and death for hundreds of thousands of people. That... kind of spoils things a bit.


	17. Fear and Loathing

**Chapter Seventeen: Fear and Loathing.**

--

The Guardian.

Eventually, the poor bastards assigned to removing the wall finished, and we were on our way again. The morning wore on, and the weather improved a little, enough for me to hang my clothes out on the railing to dry. I think I washed them well enough- I've never done my own laundry before. I'm oddly proud of the fact that I did it all myself, although the flaky white substance that's appearing on my shirt as it dries is a little perturbing.

--

The Assassin.

In the end, it turned out that wandering around the upper ring was boring as hell, but I _really_ didn't want to go back to the house just yet.

I can be such a coward sometimes. But that's just how it is.

So I left the upper ring. The middle ring wasn't much better, so I kept moving down to the lower ring. At least in the lower ring there was a chance that I might get mugged or something. You know, just to brighten up my day.

The lower ring was huge and winding, and I got lost several times, which was less fun than I had initially thought it might be. I didn't even get mugged, and no one tried to scam me with any talismans or anything. Come _on_, people, where's your sense of community spirit? Is this indifferent welcome how you greet everyone to the lower ring?

However, at about lunchtime, I _did_ manage to find a street vendor selling what had to be the _worst_ pork I had ever tasted, and I even managed to get some lukewarm tea as well. Now _that's_ more like it.

The walk was refreshing, lack of entertainment notwithstanding, and I started to think about what we should do next.

First, Aang. His earthbending needs work. For now, that's priority number one for him. In the short term, he needs to practice as much as he can. I'll ask Katara how his waterbending is coming on. Once he has progressed enough for him to be able to practice on his own, I'll approach him about meeting with the Five. Perhaps we can persuade them to be more proactive. Of course, there's still the problem of where he's going to find a firebending master, but first things first. He can already firebend a _little_, I've seen him light fires and such, but that's about it. I'll have to ask where he learned that.

Secondly, Katara. She can help me work on Aang, I think.

I can't escape the horrible and persuasive feeling that I should be taking this time to try and reconnect with her. There's still so much I have to talk to her about.

But later. Keeping everyone alive and out of Fire Nation hands is the priority. Keep that in mind.

I think the hardest thing with her and Aang will be reminding them that we still have work to do. Frankly, being given a nice house in a nice area really hasn't helped much. The closest thing we have to a training area is an ornamental pond. While it's a very nice pond, I'd really prefer a dojo or something.

Thirdly... no more putting it off... Toph.

The best I can hope for is that Aang can help her. If not, as horrible as the thought is, we might have to leave her behind when things start moving again.

I don't want to. But it might have to be done. It all depends on how the next month or so pans out, but we haven't got the time for sentimentality. She should still be okay to train Aang, but the thought of throwing her back into a fight... no. Not a chance.

But what if she doesn't have a choice? Will my over-protectiveness be the death of her?

Okay, worst-case scenario. We're all still trapped in Ba Sing Se by the time the Comet arrives. If any of us are going to survive that, purely with regard to their fighting prowess, it will be Aang and Toph. But if Toph is kept as she is, and she doesn't try to get back in the saddle by then...

I'll reserve judgement for now. I'll wait a week, see how she is, and then I'll decide what I have to do.

Of course, there's no way in hell that I'm going to mention that I've considered this to anyone.

As I walk, I wonder what the others would think if they knew what I was thinking. They'd probably call me a control freak, at best. But if I had any evidence that anyone else was going to think about this stuff, I'd happily leave it to them. But I don't think they _are_ thinking about this. And it definitely needs to be thought about.

Suddenly, an idea hits me, and I turn and head for the tram station. It's time to visit the Outer Wall.

--

The Guardian.

The white flaky stuff turned out to be soap. It was pretty annoying, and a lot harder to dust off than it looked.

...Well, how was _I_ supposed to know that the soap hadn't been washed off? It looked clean to _me_.

Anyway, by the time my more comfortable clothes were dry enough to wear (although they were still damp in random places, which was more uncomfortable than it logically should be) we had arrived on the shoreline, and were plodding towards the meet up point. Eventually, we spied the collection of red tents on the plain, and soon enough we had arrived at the camp. It was only midday.

I need sleep. Just thought I'd mention that.

Anyway, we were bustled along until we came to the command tent, where Azula and the Field Marshall were sitting. Qiqiang was going over several reports that had arrived. At one, he stopped and frowned. Azula was quick to pick up on this.

"Something wrong, Field Marshall?"

He scowled. "The units sent to the Serpent's Pass have reported casualties. Three quarters of them. Says here that they lost twenty-eight men in battle, and three more died of their injuries."

Azula's eyes light up. "Who were they fighting?"

Qiqiang coughed. "Says here a swordsman and an earthbender. The swordsman was male, and dressed like an Earth Kingdom peasant. The earthbender was female, and possibly a dwarf."

The Princess scowled. "Anything else odd?"

Qiqiang nodded. "Only that they arrived on, and I quote, 'a giant white monster, either a buffalo or a bison, we're not entirely sure which. But that's not the point, it was a big white fluffy monster-thing.'"

Aha. Azula nodded. "Thank you, Field Marshall. We won't intrude on your time any further."

With that, she stood, and jerked her head, indicating that Ty Lee and I should follow her. We did.

She led us to the tent that had been set aside for her, and sat in her chair. I stood idly, wondering when we would be allowed to go and get some sleep.

"Well, it appears that I was right. The Avatar took the Serpent's Pass."

Not yet, obviously. Azula wants to gloat. Whatever.

She continues to think out loud, a bad habit if there ever was one. "And that tells us another thing. The Sweeper has failed."

Ty Lee started. I'll admit I was surprised. What was Azula getting at?

"Oh well," she continued, blithely. "I always knew that he wasn't likely to survive. It was always a long shot, but it was worth the attempt."

Ty Lee has started shaking, slightly.

Azula ploughed on. "The best we can hope for is that he managed to kill Zuko at least before the Avatar killed him. Maybe, maybe not. Oh well, no use crying over spilt milk, as the saying goes." She was _smirking_ now. Why was she doing this? For her own amusement? Was I being punished? That would be her style. Find out about what you care about, and then _squeeze_.

The _bitch_.

I stopped listening, although she continued in that vein for some time. It was easier that way. After a little while, we were dismissed, and headed towards the tent we were to share.

I have never hated Azula before. Sure, I have despised her and loathed everything she stands for (except perhaps the total domination of the world by the Fire Nation. I was pretty ambivalent about that, although it had its advantages), but that had always been fairly passive. Hating takes _energy_.

But sitting in the tent, watching Ty Lee try and fail desperately not to cry, I decided that, should the opportunity arise, Azula was going to get a knife to the head.

Of course, the question of opportunity was an interesting one. I mean, people would notice.

Next time there's a battle, maybe. We'll see.

--

The Assassin.

The hunched General Sung was surprised to see me, but was welcoming enough. He seemed a little surprised when I asked if we could talk, though.

"General, I was wondering, what's your assessment of the forces within Ba Sing Se? I mean, are they enough to keep the Fire Nation at bay?"

He leant back in his chair, looking smug. "My boy, we could hold them off forever with a _fifth_ of our forces right now."

Aha.

"So, why are you just sitting in the city? Why not try to retake some of the Earth Kingdom? Surely that would be better than just hiding behind these walls."

I seemed to have struck a nerve. His face twitched, and he glanced from side to side, making sure we were alone. Once his paranoia was sated, he leant over the table, and motioned for me to do the same,

"This goes _nowhere_, you understand?" he hissed. I nodded in reply, and he lowered his voice even more. "We're being blocked. It's the bureaucracy, you see. We can't get anywhere. Every time the Council come up with a plan, we have to get the approval of the Earth King. We send it off, but it never comes _back_. We've tried to get meetings, but the Grand Secretariat always says that the King is 'very busy right now, but will meet with you as soon as possible'. And that's not the worst of it. People are disappearing if they complain too loudly." His face is ashen.

I'm about to ask for more when suddenly a messenger bursts in, and Sung's demeanour changes completely.

"General! The Fire Nation army is in sight!"

We all rush out to the wall, where a spyglass is passed around, much more powerful than my one, and about ten times the size. Through it, a smear of red can be seen on the horizon. The lateness of the hour stops me from seeing any more, but it's obvious enough what it is.

"Ha! They're going to lay siege again, are they? Well, they can try all they like, but this city isn't called _Na_ Sing Se!"

...Why do I get the feeling that he tells that joke to everyone?

--

I left the wall soon afterwards. I had been given something of an insight as to how things were around here. Penetrating the bureaucracy was going to be...challenging, apparently.

I made it back to the house at about sundown, and was fortunate enough to arrive in time for dinner- Katara had made noodles. The small talk was extremely small indeed- they had been frog-marched around the city by Joo Dee, who had insisted they get to know the Upper Ring, and they envied my early escape. No mention was made of the events early this morning.

I washed the bowls, to save an argument, and then went to bed early. I wanted to keep getting up early, since it was clear that that was how I was going to avoid the smile lady.

The sun was long down, and I was drifting into sleep, when I was alerted by the sound of my door sliding open. I rolled over quickly, and was confronted with a dark grey... lump. About three feet tall.

"...Sokka?"

It was Toph.

"Toph? Is everything okay?"

"... I was wondering... could I stay here? Just for a little while?" She's uncharacteristically timid sounding, wavering in the doorway.

For a tenth of a second I marvel that she's bothering to ask. I would have thought she'd be the type to just barge in. Luckily, I don't say as much out loud.

"Of course."

"Thanks."

She lays out the blanket that she had been carrying out on the floor and lies down. I want to say something, but for the life of me I can't figure out what. Possibly along the lines of 'it'll be alright', but I have no guarantee that it _will_ be alright, and I get the feeling that bringing up the subject before she's ready to talk about it will _not_ get a positive reaction.

I also fight the feeling that I should put a shirt on. It would be really uncomfortable, and since she's blind, it would make no difference. But still, I feel like I should be wearing a shirt.

Some day, I should really ask her to explain the nuances of her earthbending-o-vision. Because I just had some _horrible_ thoughts. Since she, as I understand it, sees via vibrations in the earth, and those vibrations are enough for her to read the size and shape of everything, and she can see things behind walls and suchlike, can she 'see' through clothes?

Okay. Train of thought? You are stopping right _now_.


	18. Scheduling

**Chapter Eighteen: Scheduling.**

--

The Assassin.

The muted dawn light sidled through the window, its sluggishness a side effect of the huge walls surrounding us, but it was enough to wake me up.

I used to like sleeping. I just never got any, so I got used to napping throughout the night. Unpleasant, yeah, but it has its advantages, so I'm trying to keep the habit.

Anyway, I sat up as quietly as possible, and reached for one of the shirts that our hosts had been thoughtful enough to provide, as well as grabbing my pants. Dressing quickly, I tiptoed around the sleeping form on the floor, and made my way to the main room, where I sat on a chair.

It was time to get planning.

Let's do the easy bit first. In the event that we manage to persuade the Council- or whoever is blocking the Council- to launch an assault before the Comet arrives, and if we don't we're all dead, then what part can we play in that?

The main problem is speed. The Comet arrives at Summer's end, and if we want to keep going after that, we'll need to have more land between the Fire Nation and Ba Sing Se than can be covered in one day by anything that the Fire Nation have. Tall order.

Aang's job will mainly be to inspire. Like I've said, he's good at that. The guy's got charisma, in a kind of way. He can fight, and could probably liberate a small town by himself if he had to, but in the end he's still one individual.

Hmm. Ideally, we should have got to Omashu by the time the Comet arrives. That's not likely to happen, though. If we're being realistic, we should be able to get past Gaoling, assuming that everything goes our way, which of course it won't. So Gaoling it is, in the south. Earthbending could make a real mess of the Serpent's Pass, but the boats are a problem. The Earth Kingdom is... not known for its navy.

Perhaps the Northern Water Tribe could help us there. They're pretty isolated, but we should be able to help them see sense. Their boats are smaller and more primitive than the ones of the Fire Nation Navy, but their waterbending gives them the natural advantage.

So that's how the south could be shored up. The north is something more of a problem. The Fire Nation controls everything up to the sea there. That... could be a problem.

Aang. That's where he'll come in. The Bison is a _huge_ advantage here. We could stay ahead of the Earth Kingdom forces, wreak as much havoc as possible, and move on before the earthbenders attack. It'll be... less than fun for us, and we'll get tired, but we could probably rotate things. Some days Aang and Katara would go in, and some days I could do things by myself.

No. No, that won't do. That's too short-sighted. It's not enough to simply not _lose_, we have to think about how we're going to _win_.

I sighed. "Damnit."

"What's wrong?"

I started, and looked to see Aang standing next to me, looking faintly amused. Well, nothing like being snuck up on to wake you up in the morning.

"Hey Aang. It's..." I guess we should talk about this, sooner the better. "I was wondering, what sort of plans do you have?"

His brow furrowed. "Besides 'master all the elements, defeat the Fire Lord'?"

"Well, yeah."

"...Um... not... all that much, really."

I figured as much. "Okay. 'Cause I've been doing some thinking."

He sat down on a cushion on the floor. "Oh? You come up with anything?"

I ran my hand through my hair. "It's... sort of coming together. Slowly. But there are still some things I need to know. You mind answering a few questions?"

He shrugged. "Sure."

I nodded my appreciation. "First up, who taught you to firebend? I thought you weren't supposed to learn that until last?"

Aang nodded. "On our way to the North Pole, we met a firebending master named Jeong Jeong."

I started. "The Deserter?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Yep, that's the guy. I persuaded him to teach me a bit, but Zhao showed up before we got over more than the basics of the basics."

"Hmm. Any chance we could find him again?" He could be _really_ useful when the Comet arrives, if half the stories about him are true.

Aang sighed. "I don't know. He vanished, along with all his men, after the battle. It's not likely that we'll run into him any time soon."

"Damnit. Can you think of anyone else who could teach you firebending?"

Aang scratched his chin, a comical image of contemplation. Suddenly, enlightenment struck. "There's always General Iroh. He seemed nice enough."

What.

"Aang, do you have _any_ idea where he is? Because that would be a very good thing to know."

"Well... he said –or rather, _Zuko_ said, that they were going to try to get to Ba Sing Se."

Well, it seems the Spirits are kind to us. Sometimes. I shifted, turning to face Aang.

"Okay, here's what I think we should do. For now, you _need_ to concentrate on your earthbending. Do you think that..." how to phrase this? "...you could do that unsupervised?" I carefully made sure that my eyes didn't drift towards my door.

Aang got the hint. "...Yeah. I know most of the basic techniques. But don't you think Toph could help me?"

I sighed. "I'm just... trying to prepare for the worst. Just in case."

"Oh."

"Meanwhile, when you're not practicing with your waterbending, Katara and I can start looking for the General. Ba Sing Se's a huge city, and if they're posing as refugees they'll probably be in the lower ring. We can't waste time if we're going to find them."

Aang nodded. "Okay. Sheesh, everything's a lot more complicated than I first thought."

I had to smile at that. How could I not? "That's the way it is. But for today, once everyone's up, I'd like you to come with me."

He raised an eyebrow. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to arrange a meeting."

--

The Guardian.

The next morning, we broke camp, and began the trek towards the outer walls. The walk was long, and arduous, but surprisingly it was nothing more than that. Seeing as this was essentially the last part of the Earth Kingdom that we hadn't conquered yet, I was expecting their soldiers to make use of the fact that we were on their turf. But there was nothing. No pitfalls, no sudden rockslides, no ambushes, nothing. It was like they had given up already.

I could see that the Field Marshall was thinking the same thing- he kept glancing around and tugging nervously at his beard, which, as nervous tics go, was fairly amusing looking.

Eventually, we stopped on the plain before the city, and began to make camp. It took a long time, but eventually everything was set up, and cooks were rushing to prepare dinner.

Then the tents nearest the city were crushed by huge flying boulders. It seemed that someone had miscalculated. And, of course, the earthbenders had waited until we'd got everything ready before bombarding us. Sadists.

So, everyone hastily packed and retreated about a hundred paces, where we were judged to be safe.

Just in case, the command group (of which I was lucky enough to be a part) were pitched the furthest away from the walls.

The evening passed fairly uneventfully, and I used the time to reassess my objectives.

Primary objectives remained the same- ensure the continued survival of the five people on my list. So far, that had been accomplished nicely.

Secondary objective- kill Azula. That was a new one, and I was still puzzling it out.

Oh, and tertiary objective- avoid execution/ imprisonment/ death of self. If possible.

The second one was giving me trouble. Sure, it would go a long way to ensuring the success of the first one, but its execution (ha ha) was going to be tricky.

Azula is smarter than me. Of that, there is _no question_. She is also a considerably better fighter than me, and she has far more allies. The sole advantage I think I have is the element of surprise. So I only have one shot.

I could engineer a very specific accident of some description, but if she survived (and she probably would) she would almost certainly figure out what had happened, and then everything would go down the drain. Outright attacking her was out of the picture, for obvious reasons, and I have absolutely no knowledge of poisons- a now-regrettable hole in my education.

The best thing I could think of was to take an opportunity in a fight. Perhaps I could strategically fail to give her assistance if she ever should need it.

Anyone spot the flaw with that one? If you answered 'since when did Azula need help in battle?' you are correct. Also, stop being so snarky. That's my job.

--

The Assassin.

It was midday before we could shake Joo Dee, and Aang and I headed for the barracks in the Upper Ring, where we had the best chance of being able to meet with the Five.

"Hello? Can I help you?" a secretary behind a long desk asked as we entered the building.

I stepped up to the desk. "Yeah, is this where we can arrange a meeting with the Council of Five? It's a bit urgent."

Her smile was wide and oddly familiar. "Certianly! On what grounds?"

I glanced at Aang, who shrugged at the poorly-phrased question.

"Err... winning the war?"

The smile fractured momentarily. "War?"

"...Yeah. ...You know, the one with the Fire Nation? The one that's been going on for the last hundred years?" Aang prompted.

The woman shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to see some identification."

Aang shrugged. "Well, I'm the Avatar."

"Do you have any identification?"

Aang looked nonplussed. "Well, I can do this." He waved his arms, and the air swirled around him, dislodging papers. The woman merely raised an eyebrow.

"Do what, exactly?"

"What? Did you not notice the air-thing?" I asked, incredulous.

"Yes, there's a draft. One of the windows doesn't shut properly. We must get that repaired some day."

"But- but-" Aang stuttered.

"I'm sorry, but without a passport or other legitimate means of identification, I'm afraid I can't authorise an audience with the Five. Have a nice day." The smile returned, but this time I recognised it. It was the identical twin of Joo Dee's.

Something is rotten in Ba Sing Se.

"Come on, Aang. Let's not take up any more of this lady's time."

"But-"

"We'll talk on the way back. Let's go."

Aang sighed, and followed me out the door.

--

The Guardian.

Ty Lee has been ...subdued... all day. It's getting unnerving. Compared to her usual demeanour, she seems listless, just sitting around staring into space. By nightfall, I had determined that someone should do something about it. By the time everyone was retiring, I had come to the disconcerting conclusion that the only person with any interest in doing so was me.

Good thing I'm so selfless.

We were in our tent when I began the discussion. I looked up from my book about... I can't remember. I was just holding it to give my hands something to do. It was probably awful, anyway, so that's no great loss.

"Alright, Ty Lee. This is getting worrying. As flattered as I am that you have decided to take me as a role model, I'm not sure that the world is ready for two of me."

That drew out a small smile, so I guess it was a positive enough start.

"I know, I guess Azula's just... getting to me a little."

That's possibly the first time Ty Lee has ever spoken out even a little against our dear lunatic princess. Progress; although she'd be wise to keep it to herself for the foreseeable future.

"That's one way of putting it." I, however, have learned who it is safe to vent in front of.

"But, now she's mentioned it, I can't help but think that she might be right. I mean, I never considered that Sokka might just... not come back. It's ...a horrible thought."

"Tell me about it." Damnit, I didn't mean to say that out loud.

She looked up, and gave a kind of lopsided smile. "Huh, I forgot about that. Well, we're sort of in the same boat, aren't we?"

I couldn't help but smirk. "Perhaps we could start a club."

Ty Lee was outright grinning now, and sat up. "Yep! The Exiled-Or-Possibly-Dead-Not-Actually-Boyfriends-Becuase-They're-Oblivious-And-Perhaps-Dead Club!"

Okay, enormous presumptions and the unexpected macabre humour coming from Ty Lee aside, that's actually quite funny. "EOP...DA, no, NABBTOA...perhaps d... PDC. Catchy. Maybe we could have a themed hat or something."

**--**

**By the time I had solidified what exactly Ty Lee's relationship with Sokka was, I had already passed the point where I could have subtly indicated it through their interaction (i.e. Chapter Four, where I deliberately left it vague). This last section was an enormously unsubtle attempt to tell you what my final choice actually was.**


	19. The Den of Vipers

**Chapter Nineteen: The Den of Vipers.**

--

The Assassin.

A rumble shook the earth, and I was flung bodily from my mattress. I blinked heavily in the gloom, trying to work out what exactly was going on.

A muted cry to my right focussed my thoughts. Toph. She was having another nightmare.

Crawling over, I reached my arm out to a patch of moving darkness, only to be hit by a thrashing arm. Not good, I judged.

Moving closer, but not attempting to reach to her again, I tried to figure out how I was going to wake her up before-

An errant palm slapped the ground, shaking the floor again, with enough force that the cabinet that housed my clothes fell forwards with a crash.

- before she shook the house apart. This was going to be about another couple of minutes, at this rate.

No particular plan in mind, I edged closer to her, and poked her once in the area I assumed was her forehead. Nothing. Okay, time to pull out the big guns. Here's hoping she won't kill me as soon as she's awake.

Ooh, very poor choice of words. Good thing I didn't say that out loud. And that she wouldn't be awake to hear me if I did, but- okay; off topic now.

I grabbed her arm and shook her bodily, sliding towards her as I did so. A sudden intake of breath indicated that I was successful in my mission. I'd figured that would wake her.

What I hadn't expected was for her to suddenly leap forwards and grab me in a violent tackle. She didn't say anything; she just sat there, her face buried in my chest, her arms vainly attempting to meet around my back.

Okay, for anyone who doesn't know- being embraced by a traumatised twelve year old girl- one who could quite easily break every bone in your body with a flick of her finger, if she wanted- in the middle of the night, while you're wearing nothing more than a pair of light pants, and only then because it's a colder night than usual? _Incredibly_ awkward. Just thought that needed saying.

She didn't say anything, and I didn't either. She didn't let go, either, just held on, as she fought to get her breathing under control, while I patted her back gently and murmured reassuringly.

...Look, I couldn't think of anything else to do, okay? I'm not cut out for making people feel better.

Nonetheless, her breaths eventually became more measured, and I guess she fell back to sleep. Okay, now, how do I get out of this? Perhaps if I-

Ow. Ow. Ow. Okay, Toph's Subconscious, I'm not going to try to get out any more, okay? Please stop that.

For someone so small, she's got a grip like a bear trap. I think I'm going to be bruised after this.

With one arm, I reached backwards and pulled my blanket off my mattress. Piling it into a rough lump, I put it behind the small of my back, and leant back into a relaxed sitting position.

Aah. It's almost comfortable.

I still wish I had a shirt on, though.

And please, please, for the love of any and all spirits who may or may not be listening, please don't let her start to drool.

--

The Guardian.

The days passed. That's about all that can be said of them, really. They all had a samey quality about them, so much so that after a while I forgot which day it was. Not that it would have made a difference, anyway. I mean, there wasn't even any work for me to do. No lessons, no 'bonding sessions', nothing.

I never thought I could miss calligraphy lessons and babysitting Tom-Tom so much. Even the _Academy_ wasn't-

Okay. I retract that. I didn't even _say_ it and I retract it. _Nothing_ compares to the drudgery of the Academy.

Every day was spent in the company of a revitalised Ty Lee, and my (slightly self-satisfied) good humour at seeing her back to her old self quickly faded under a tide of talk about butterflies and rainbows and turtle-ducklings and auras or whatever crap had captured her interest that day.

Admittedly, the only difference with how she had been for the last... four years, minus the two that she was away for- was that she never brought up the Sweeper or his various virtues, imagined or otherwise (I really was never in a position to judge). I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about that.

I mean, on the one hand, it's... a little disconcerting. I mean, it doesn't sound like she just hasn't thought about him in a while, more like she's deliberately skirting the issue. Which she is. But, on the other hand, I don't have to hear her gush about him. She just natters about everything else instead.

Scratch that, I want him back as a topic of conversation. At least that way I'd have a little variety.

--

The Assassin.

They came, swords raised. The last flurry had been hard on them, but they had learned. Now they wouldn't give me any room to manoeuvre. I stepped backwards in an attempt to get some breathing space, but they didn't let up, two in front of me, one on both side, and the other two hanging back. Damnit, they're better than I had thought.

Six to one. And they're _good_. Not good odds. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

The foremost one swung his sword, and I barely caught the strike on mine, the force behind it sending my back knee wobbling as I fought to keep my stance. Suddenly, my opponent grinned, and began to slide his blade down mine. I saw, too late, what he was planning to do.

One of the design flaws in my weapon is the lack of any kind of hand guard.

His sword slammed into my fingers, a shock of white pain lancing up my arm, and a flash of red blossoming on my hand. Gasping, I dropped my sword and ducked, grabbing it with my left hand as I stretched my right away from me, keeping it away from anywhere where it could be damaged more.

The man was surprised when I batted away his strike with the same ease I had when I was using my right hand. Ha. Weren't expecting that, were you?

Then, out of the corner of my peripheral vision, the man on my right moved in swinging, as the one in front of me pulled back. Crap, crap, no time to block it, got to _move_-

As I was about to awkwardly wheel left, a wall of earth flew upwards, knocking the man flat on his back, his weapon clattering away from him on the stone. Everyone froze, as we glanced around for the source of the attack.

There, in the entrance to the courtyard, was Toph.

I hadn't seen much of her during the last few days. I got the feeling that she might be a little embarrassed that I had to be around when she ... didn't have her defences up. Either way, neither of us mentioned it. In fact, we rarely spoke to one another at all now.

"Hey Sokka. What's up?"

"Oh, you know, just keeping in practice," I replied, idly swinging the wooden training sword I had been given. I had been lucky enough to find one that was a similar style to mine. "What brings you here?"

"I've been thinking." She sounded serious. "Could you start up again?"

The corporal in charge raised an eyebrow at me, and I shrugged, before sliding into my flame stance. Things got a little more interesting when I saw Toph take up an earthbending stance.

She must have noticed my hesitation.

"Something wrong, Sokka?" She knew what I was thinking, and she wasn't happy about it.

"Well... you sure about this?"

"No, Sokka, I'm not sure. But I'm getting pretty tired of all of you tiptoeing – _literally_, in Katara's case- around me, like I'm made of glass or something. I'm not sure if this is going to help, but I'm going to find out _now_."

Well, you can't argue with that. "Okay. Let's rock."

"No puns."

"Couldn't resist. Sorry."

I turned, and nodded to my opponents. My right hand still had a nasty welt over two of fingers, so I was going to be limited to my flame stance. A bit of a problem, but I figured I could deal with it. I wish I knew what Toph was planning to do, though.

Suddenly, Toph pulled up walls all around her, closing her off to everything but the sky. ...Okay. Odd.

But I had no time to think about that, because I was being attacked from the left and right at once. I stepped back, and readied myself to receive the attacks.

They never landed. The right man slammed into a wall, and I easily deflected the left one, twisting my wrist and jerking his blade out of his hand. As he stood surprised, I kneed him in the gut and pushed forward.

The remaining five were wary, encircling me before I could manoeuvre. As one, they moved, and I shifted my stance to be ready for the first man, wondering what Toph was going to do.

She didn't disappoint. Walls sprang up around me, reading my stance and shifting with it, guarding all my blind spots and allowing me to strike the man in front of me while in almost complete safety. Cunning.

I lashed out, catching the man across the shoulder, and he went down, reeling backwards towards the floor. I span, and the gap in my armour shifted with me, revealing a man with no sword. Puzzled, I looked around, and I noticed something stuck in the wall, at about ear height. A wooden sword was embedded in the earth.

Turning back, I kicked the man in the stomach, and span once again. The process was completed until all six were disarmed and incapacitated.

Toph reappeared from behind her disappearing barricade.

"Nice."

Her only response was a nod.

"Okay, I think I have to go pester Katara to get my finger fixed. But that was good, Toph. I'm impressed." I almost said 'proud', but I figured she wouldn't appreciate being patronised.

As a reply, she grinned.

Well, who knows, at this rate, I might just get a full night's sleep some time this month.

--

The Guardian.

It was late in the evening, and I was standing looking at the Outer Wall, while Ty Lee did her stretches a little way away. It's a pretty impressive sight, and would be more so, if I didn't know that all they had to do to build it was wave their arms around a bit. That detracts from the spectacle a bit.

Suddenly, something caught my eye. I frowned, trying to work out exactly what it was. It... seemed to be a kind of furrow, or something. No, more like a line of raised earth, travelling this way with gathering speed.

Before I could raise the alarm or anything, the line was within sight of the firelight, and I turned to go get someone more qualified to deal with this kind of thing.

"Good evening."

I turned back, to see a smug looking man in black, flanked by two more in dark robes with wide hats. Ty Lee promptly fell over mid handstand, a tangle of limbs and a squawk.

"Hi. Is there a good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now?"

The corners of his mouth turned up. It's possible that he thought he was smiling.

"I understand that I have an appointment with Princess Azula."

...Oo...kay?

"Right. An appointement."

Ty Lee extracted herself from herself, and stood.

"Mai, don't you remember? He's that guy."

I looked at her. "'That guy?'"

She nodded. "Yeah, don't you remember? That guy."

"In all honesty, no."

She shook her head despairingly. "Remember, Azula mentioned him some time ago. That guy."

Aah. "Oh. You mean _that_ guy. Whatsisname, the Grand Somethingorother."

"Secretariat," the guy interjected, oilily.

I shrugged. "Alright, follow me, I guess."

--

"Ah, Grand Secretariat. Thank you _so_ much for this audience." Azula bowed low. "And may I introduce Field Marshall Qiqiang."

The big man nodded, warily.

"Please, have a seat."

The man sat down, his two mute bodyguards flanking him.

"Now, I understand you have a proposition," he said.

Azula nodded. "Indeed. Are you aware of what will happen at summer's end?"

The man nodded, inscrutably. Azula continued.

"Then you must know that there is little chance that Ba Sing Se will even continue to _exist_, should we be forced to wait until then. Now, I know all about your... extra responsibilities in the city, and so you are the man we should talk to, if we are to avoid that ...unpleasant state of affairs."

The man said nothing, but nodded, indicating that he had heard.

"So, now the question is, how can we persuade you that we can offer the only reasonable solution?" Azula finished.

The man leant back, steepling his fingers in a way that I'm sure he thought made him look very laconic and intelligent.

"Ba Sing Se is a city steeped in cultural tradition. In recent years, there have been many, many people coming to the city, to build new lives for themselves behind our walls. So, to ensure that our culture is... properly protected... the Dai Li have been assigned to protect the people from... improper behaviour."

Well, what do you suppose he's getting at?

"Princess, allow me to be frank. The people of the Northern Earth Kingdom see the Earth King as nothing less than a living God, a man with the ear of the divine. If anything were to happen to him... But this means that, out of necessity, he is kept in safety at all times. Nearly no one has ever seen his face."

Well, _I _sure didn't know what this creep was getting at, but Azula seemed satisfied. "I assure you, Grand Secretariat, that no harm will come to the Earth King."

He nodded. "I have, since the Earth King is busy ensuring the protection of our culture, taken over the humdrum everyday running of Ba Sing Se."

"And the Fire Nation recognises expertise, and rewards it with purpose," Azula replied, almost on cue.

The man nodded. "Ba Sing Se would not benefit from major changes. Fire Nation soldiers in the streets would cause comment. However, we do produce, even with the latest influx of refugees, a surplus of grain and tools. Our craftsmen and artisans, if you will allow a moment of vanity, are without equal. I am sure the Fire Nation would benefit from what we have to offer."

Azula nodded. "And, of course, all the refugees would be able to return to their homes, with the minimum of fuss."

The man stood, and bowed low. "Please, allow me some time to think about this."

Azula stood and mimicked him. "Certainly. Take as long as you need."

"Then I shall return within the month."

He left the tent, his two mute guards with him.

Bah. Politics.

**--**

**I think that I may have gone a little overboard on the Tokka. Hah. Like I care. And the last line is _not_ Mai speaking. It is in fact me. I have a resit tommorow. Damn the Internal Market. Actually, just damn Tatcher generally.**


	20. Music Montage

**Chapter Twenty: Music Montage.**

--

The Guardian.

In all the histories and tales of great sieges, they always go to great lengths to describe how horrible and tiring it was for both sides. I found myself wondering about that. I mean, all we were doing was sitting there. Sure, more men would roll in every so often, and the food wasn't great, especially the day before the supply wagons arrived, but it wasn't actually _hard_.

Then again, I supposed, we weren't actually laying siege properly. I mean, we couldn't even stop them getting _out_, not when any point in the wall could function as a door. That would require more soldiers than there are citizens in the Fire Nation. I think. Actually, I don't think that at all, it was hyperbole. I used it to create a dramatic image. But anyway.

Anyway, we weren't really trying to stop anyone getting out, or cutting off their food supplies, since the city was self-sufficient. Essentially, we were just hanging around, waiting for His Grand Smugness to let us in, like a charity collector at the door.

That was a simile. You can tell because I said 'like'.

Can you tell this is getting to me a bit? I think I may be developing a siege mentality. A ha ha ha ha ha I need to lie down now.

--

The Assassin.

I was woken up by the rumble of the earth. Again.

Toph was improving enormously, but it wasn't easy, and she had had several more nightmares. They had picked up after she had started combat training again, pretty much once a night, but after a few days they had begun to slack off.

I had taken to wearing a shirt to bed. It had proved invaluable. And at least now I knew more or less what to do.

Sitting up, I gave Toph a hard shake, and once again she started into consciousness, before diving into my arms.

Tonight, however, she decided to buck tradition.

"Sokka."

She's never spoken at these times before. I guess she's never wanted to acknowledge that she was awake when she was this vulnerable.

"Yeah?" I murmured.

"I'm scared." She sounds it, too. "In the day, I can keep on top of it, I can practice, I keep myself busy. But these dreams... I'm right back there. And it's not like it's just a dream, I _am_ there. I can feel every vibration, hear every sound, I can even _smell _everything- leather armour in the hot sun, and there's the taste of copper in the air. And..."

She shifted, pressing the side of her head into my chest. It suddenly occurred to me what she was doing, what she had been doing every time, and I hadn't noticed. She was listening for my heartbeat.

"...And I can feel them _stop_. But that's not the problem. The problem is when I wake up. And I know, I _know_, that it's gonna happen again."

She's not asking for confirmation. She's not asking me to say everything's gonna be okay. I want to, I want to until it _hurts_, but I can't.

"And I'm scared I'm gonna hesitate, or I'm gonna choke, and I'm gonna let you guys down. ...I ...I don't..."

"Shh, it's okay. Calm down, it's alright," I murmur. But she's right. She's perfectly correct, and what's else is I've thought exactly the same things as her.

She is a liability. There's no telling quite how she'll react in a battle situation. It's more than likely that she'll completely panic, and shut down.

What am I going to say?

The truth, I guess.

"Toph... I can't promise that everything's going to be alright. I can't promise that _anything's _going to be alright. But I promise, I _promise_, that I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that we'll get through this. What you've done in the last week and a half, getting up and getting back in the saddle, has been amazing. It's not going to be easy, but you're getting back together. I'm really, really, imp-" No. The truth, even if she does think it's patronising. "I'm proud of you."

She doesn't say anything for a long while.

"Thanks, Sokka."

--

The Guardian.

_Oh, winter, spring, summer and fall, winter spring, sum-mer a-and fall..._

"Hm hmm-hmm hmm, hmhm hmm hm, hmm-hmm hmm, hmm-hm hm-hm hmmm..."

"...Mai?"

I turn to see Ty Lee looking... nervous, to say the least.

"Yes?"

"Are you... okay? Because you've been humming that tune for over two hours now. I was wondering if you'd lost your mind or something."

"Just trying to make it through the day, that's all."

"Oh." I think I confused her. "Okay then," she says, matter-of-factly, and then pinwheels away.

_Four seasons, fo-o-ur loves. Four seasons, fo-o-our loooves._

"Hmm hm-hmm, hm-hm-hmm hmm_. _Hmm hm-hm, hmm-hmm-hm-hm hmmmmm."

--

The Assassin.

As the weeks in Ba Sing Se wore on, we established a pattern. Either Katara or myself would go and search for the elusive General Iroh, while the other would take in upon themselves to distract Joo Dee, usually by asking to be taken to some monument or other. Toph and Aang were practicing for as long as they felt they could. It wasn't the most efficient of routines, but it was the best we had.

Today, it was my turn to survive the creepy-smile lady. Yay. But today, I had a plan.

"Good morning, Joo Dee!"

"Good morning! Is there anywhere you would like to go today?"

I nodded, enthusiastically. "Yes, actually. Would it be possible to visit the University Library? There are a few things I'd like to look up."

"Certainly!"

The choice of the library was very deliberate. It would be the perfect arena for me, while still seeming relatively innocuous. I knew that our 'host' was reporting to someone, and I intended to find out exactly what was going on with her.

--

"...Thanks. Say, do you know if they have any copies of that treatise on socio-economic models of the four nations by the Monk Jangbu? I know it's over two hundred years old, but I _really_ think it's important."

Joo Dee simply beamed, and nodded, scurrying off to some dark corner of the library, leaving me at a desk piled high with scrolls.

My plan was simple. I would wear her down. So far, I had asked for the most random, obscure, and difficult to locate texts I could think of. Once she found them, I would either ignore them, send them back, claiming that they weren't what I was looking for after all, or blatantly skim read them.

And I was noticing something odd about Joo Dee. Whenever she came back with a scroll, she looked as tired and irritated I would expect anyone in her position to look. But whenever I asked her to do something, that terrifying (and it actually was, now) smile came back, and she would glide off as serenely as you like, to do exactly what I had asked.

This place is beginning to creep me right out.

Okay, just half an hour more, and I'll start asking for things that I've already sent back. Another hour of that, and I'll start asking for totally imaginary things, to round off the day.

--

The Guardian.

"Hey, Ty Lee."

"Hmm?"

"Think fast."

My wrist flicked, and Ty Lee's eyes widened for a split second before she ducked, narrowly dodging my projectile.

"_What_? What was that for?"

"_Ow!"_

I shrugged.

"_Field Marshall! Are you alright?"_

"You dodged it, didn't you?"

"_What hit me?"_

"Yeah, but, that's not the point!"

"_Perhaps this rock, sir?"_

"Ty, I'm bored out of my_ mind_."

"_That looks like it. Where did it come from?"_

"So you start throwing rocks at people?"

"_Perhaps a bird dropped it, sir?"_

I shrugged again. "Only people I know can dodge it."

"_A _bird_? Why in the name of Agni would a _bird_ be carrying a rock?"_

"Well, what if I hadn't? That could have really hurt, you know!"

"_Well, we _are_ in the Earth Kingdom, sir."_

"But I knew you would dodge."

"_...What? What does that have to do with _anything_? Look, it must have come from somewhere behind me. That's _logical_."_

Simultaneously, the heads of Field Marshall Qiqiang and the Lieutenant that he had been talking to turned to face me. I shrugged, and turned to Ty Lee.

"Run away?"

--

The Assassin.

Well, in the end, I couldn't get Joo Dee to snap, although she did look extremely harassed whenever the Smile wasn't in place, and she seemed more amicable than usual to the thought that I would walk back.

I used the walk to reflect upon what I had learned today. Although my experiment could hardly be called a complete success, I had learned a couple of things. Mainly that Joo Dee wasn't human.

I'm serious. She was like some bizarre parody, like some monster or other has heard a lot about what people in general- and someone playing host in particular- should be like, but they just can't get it right. Perhaps she's steam powered or something.

Once I made it into the Upper Ring, it occurred to me that I had not eaten today. I had some money, so perhaps I could stop in somewhere.

A little while and a few enthusiastic directions later, and I was standing at the threshold of what was reputed to be the finest tea shop in the city.

The Jasmine Dragon. Huh. Looks nice enough.

I opened the door, and was grateful to see that the shop was devoid of customers. I wanted somewhere I could sit in peace and quiet.

"Um, sir? I'm afraid we're closing in a few minutes."

I turned to see a teenager in an apron, holding a menu.

No.

No way.

No _fucking _way.

Aha.

Ahahaha.

Ahahahahahah.

He looks thinner than when I last saw him, and wan, as if he's just recovered from a fever. But there's no mistaking him.

"Oh, I won't be long. Is that alright?" Yes, yes, come on. Clearly I have managed to build up credit with some Spirit or other.

"Very well, sir. Take a seat, and I'll bring you a menu."

The air was electric. Alive with opportunity. I couldn't mess this up.

The waiter arrived with the menu, and I looked, feigning interest, and selected one at random.

"A pot of ginseng, if you please. And three cups."

He gave me an odd look, but scurried off without a word. I took the time to look around. Very nice indeed.

After a while, he returned with my order.

"Here you go."

"Thanks. Hey, where are you going? Sit down, have a drink. In fact, since you're closing soon, your uncle could join us."

To his credit, he simply looked extremely confused. "I'm sorry, sir, but-"

"Oh I insist. _Zuzu_."

He started backwards, a sudden look of panic on his face. Hard to blame him, really.

"Look, I-"

"How's your uncle these days? Hard to imagine the Dragon of the West serving tea to the upper crust of Ba Sing Se, but that's the way life goes, I guess." Okay, now I'm just being cruel. I'll stop now. "But seriously, I just want to talk. It's a little important."

"I- I- ...alright. I'll see if he's busy." He dashed off, looking... worried. After a while, he came back, more composed, in the company of General Iroh, former Crown Prince, the fabled Dragon of the West.

Huh. I figured he'd be taller. The apron doesn't do him any favours, either.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Well, sure. For starters, I seem to have ordered too much tea. I would be honoured if you would join me."

"Well, thank you," he said, enthusiastically, and they both sat. I poured three cups of tea, and we drank. It really was very good tea.

"Hmm, delicious. Anyway, to business. You're probably wondering exactly who I am."

"Yes. We are." Zuko seems... surly.

"Well, you might say I'm a ...former employee of Azula's. They called me the Sweeper, stupid name, but there you go."

General Iroh raised his eyebrow. "And what, exactly, where the terms of your... employment?"

I shook my head. "Not exactly important right now. But anyway, Azula told me to say hi."

I think that nonplussed them. Zuko eventually spoke up. "...Really?"

"No. not really. She actually told me to kill you. I'm not going to, by the way, so calm down." I took another sip of tea. "Look, this isn't what I came here to talk about. Suffice to say that I eventually left Azula's employ and I'm now with the Avatar."

Zuko looked up. "He's here? In the city?"

I nodded. "Indeed. And here's the thing. The Fire Nation forces are sitting outside the walls right now, just waiting for Sozin's Comet to arrive, and give them the power they'll need to crush this city. From where I stand, it looks like none of us want that to happen. And there's only one thing that will stop them."

Zuko stared at me. "You want us to teach the Avatar firebending."

I nodded, and risked a glance at the General, but it looked as if he were engrossed in his tea. Hmm. I figured someone of his reputation would be more... alert. Huh. Maybe he is. Or maybe he just really likes tea.

Zuko stared at the table.

"No."

Oh.

"Why?"

"Listen. I've agreed to leave the Avatar alone, but you'll probably understand why I'm not entirely married to the idea of openly opposing the Fire Nation right now."

...No, not really. But then, I'm looking at it from an entirely logical point of view, and logic tends to go out the window when family's involved. So I guess so.

"...Alright, then. But, just in case you change your mind, take this." I pulled out a scrap of paper, and scrawled the address of our house on it. "If you ever need to, this is where you'll find us."

Zuko took it, and looked confused. "What's to stop me just breaking in and kidnapping the Avatar?" He honestly sounded perplexed.

"Because, Zuko, I think, contrary to popular belief, that you aren't stupid." I stood, and bowed low to both men, before dropping my money on the table in payment for the drink. "The tea was excellent, and thank you for the company." The General bowed, but Zuko simply gave me an odd look. I grinned at him, and left.

Well, that went not quite as well as I could have hoped for, but much better than I had expected.

Now, what do I tell the others about this?

...Nothing. Aang, on hearing about it, will want to go and pester Zuko. If he's going to come around, the last thing he needs right now is to be pestered. But then, I can't afford to just leave him alone. So I'll wait a week, and then tell everyone. Yeah. That's the best solution.

**--**

**What? You thought Toph was going to be okay from now on? **_**Please**_**, there's far too much cheap angst I can milk from this.**


	21. Mutatio Motus

**Chapter Twenty-One: Mutatio Motus.**

--

The Assassin.

The Dai Li. Everything in this city comes back to them. If someone vanishes, you can bet it's the Dai Li dragging him off. If someone doesn't want to talk about something, it's because the Dai Li are waiting to silence them. And I will bet anything that they're behind Joo Dee's constant blockading of our attempts to meet the Five.

It's time we did something about that, frankly. And by 'we', I really mean 'me'. Or "I", if I want to be grammatically correct. What I plan to do is stupid, reckless, and if I found out that any of the others was planning anything like this, I would probably have yelled at them for a very long time.

So I won't tell them about this.

I have to say, after all this tiptoeing around, being very careful not to attract too much attention, it's very refreshing.

Let's break some _rules_.

--

The Guardian.

"_Fweeeeeeee_"

Ty Lee started, and Azula span around.

"What was that?"

I looked around, and shrugged.

"Maybe a bird of some kind?" Ty Lee suggested. Azula narrowed her eyes and looked around.

"_Fweeeeeeee_"

"There it is again!" Azula span around, automatically assuming a firebending stance.

"...I don't see anything. Mai, any ideas?"

"Perhaps it's a signal of some kind. You know, like a kind of guerilla force?" I suggested.

That was enough to crank the princess's paranoia up to eleven, and she began glaring at the long grass. I took a deep breath.

"_Fweeeeeeee_"

"Right. That's _it_. Mai, go left, Ty Lee, go right. We're going to get to the bottom of this."

Azula stormed off, and Ty Lee headed in the direction she had been told to go. Shaking my head, I started back to camp, dropping the blades of grass as I went.

That really wasn't as fun as I had expected. Oh well.

--

The Assassin.

The headquarters of the Dai Li are right by the palace, some way away from our house. Accordingly, I got up long before the sun (luckily, Toph had slept well that night, making it easier for me to escape unnoticed, although, to be safe, I still left via the window), and made my way through the upper ring. I made my way to the low, wide tunnel that was the entrance to their headquarters without incident, and stepped back, examining the building for any suitable entrances.

I wasn't _entirely_ sure what I was looking for- something incriminating, ideally; I was fairly sure that an organisation like the Dai Li would have more than a few skeletons hidden somewhere- perhaps something that I could use as leverage, or take to the Earth King. But mostly, I simply wanted to shake things up, at least a bit. This city was dangerously complacent, and the Dai Li were committed to keeping it like that. They were an obstacle, and was going to remove them, one way or another. I hoped I could do it through at least semi-legal means, breaking and entering notwithstanding. Cutting every Dai Li throat would take too long, and would be impractical.

Frankly, I was really, _really_ listless. The upper ring was so _stuffy_. And it was about time things started to move again.

After a little deliberation, I decided that I might as well take the front door route. There weren't any visible guards- not entirely unexpected, since it was about four in the morning, but I kept my guard up anyway. Better to be jumping at shadows than to actually get caught.

The tunnel led to a wide courtyard, which looked like it was used as a training area, with several doors leading off it, all plain and small. I picked one at random, and tried it. Locked.

Well duh.

A few moments with my lock picks took care of that, and I tried it again. This time it yielded, which was good, if slightly unexpected. I had anticipated tighter security.

The corridors were plain stone, with torches at infrequent intervals. Very oppressive, with the added bonus that none of the Dai Li were ever far from their element. I approved, or would have, had it not meant that every corridor looked exactly the same, and I quickly got hopelessly lost. I had made it to the second floor at some point, since I had climbed a stairway, but apart from that I had absolutely no idea where I was.

As I rounded another corridor, and fought the feeling that this had been an extraordinarily bad idea, I heard feet.

Shit. Where were they coming from? Somewhere in front of me, that was for sure. Should I go on, hoping to find a fork in the corridors? No. Bad idea. Turn back, find a door. Now.

I turned, and ran as lightly as I could, hoping against hope that none of the Dai Li were as adept at seeing with their feet as Toph was.

The seconds seemed to drag as I ran as quickly as I could without making too much noise, and found a door. Quickly as I could, I fished out my picks and got to work on the door, trying to work steadily against the backdrop of steadily advancing footsteps.

With a click, the door yielded, and I fell inside, leaning heavily on the door.

Oh my.

I was in what appeared to be an enormous library, with tall shelves stuffed with scrolls. I glanced at the nearest one to me.

It was labelled _Zuko, Prince (FN)_. There was one scroll in it.

_Residing in the Upper Ring with his uncle (see Iroh). No suspicious activity since surveillance began. Threat level- Moderate. Extra notes- unlikely to be useful as a hostage, Fire Lord having disowned him._

Well. Someone struck gold.

I made my way to the other side of the room, where, sure enough, there was a slot marked "Avatar (and party)". Well. Might as well see what they have to say about us.

_The Avatar ("Aang"). Residing in Upper Ring with party. As of yet, has not attempted to destabilise city, but must be kept under close surveillance. Threat Level- Unprecedented. Under no circumstances must he be allowed near political or military leaders. Should be encouraged to leave city if he does not do so soon. Associated with:_

_Waterbender ("Katara"). Threat Level- Unknown (presumed Moderate to High). Water tribes, presumably Northern. Has been seen searching the Lower Ring, reasons unknown._

_Toph Bei Fong. Threat Level- High. Daughter of Lao and Poppy Bei Fong (Gaoling). Has been seen training with Palace Guard and Sokka (see below). Perceived as low intelligence, but should under no circumstances be engaged directly._

_Swordsman ("Sokka"). Threat Level- Moderate to High. Non-bender of unknown origin. Has been seen searching Lower Ring, and has consorted with General Sung, Zuko and Iroh (see separate files), reasons unknown. May attempt to disrupt order. Must be dealt with delicately- investigate possibility of rehabilitation._

Well, that was enlightening. I grabbed the scroll, as well as the other that was resting with it, and turned to leave. However, as I headed towards the door, something caught my eye. An entire shelf entitled "The War."

Hello.

I grabbed the nearest one, under the date of last week, and glanced through.

_Report for the Council of Five regarding the movements of the Southern Water Tribe fleet led by Chief Hakoda. For the last two moons, the boats have been moored at Chameleon Bay, from which they have launched raids on the Fire Nation Navy_

_led by Chief Hakoda._

_Hak-_ no. Not now. Plenty of time to think about that once I'm back at the house. For now, it's time to leave.

"Hey! You shouldn't be here."

Damn. Damn damn _damn_. Who figured that anyone wearing stone shoes could be so sneaky? I forced an easy grin, and turned around. Sure enough, there was a Dai Li agent, looking surly as hell.

Well, at least there's only one of them.

"I'm sorry, isn't this the poetry club?"

He raised his eyebrow, and I waved my hands expansively, masking a slight step towards him.

"Nice setup you got here. I mean, this is a _lot _of paperwork. I imagine it must have taken a lot of work to get this much."

"Stop. Just... just who are you? What are you doing here?"

I glanced sidelong. He's younger than most Dai Li I've seen, and he doesn't sound so sure of himself. This, combined with the lateness (earliness) of the hour, gives me a chance.

"Sorry, but you only get one question. So which is it gonna be?" Another step, masquerading as a theatrical twirl.

"What?"

"I said, you only get one question. And I'm sorry to say, you just used it up. Now I get a go." I lunged, pointing at his nose. The sudden arm movement drew his eyes to my hand, and away from my feet, which took the opportunity to move closer, and take a stance. "_What_ is the average flight speed of an unladen sky bison?"

"What? I don't know, I thought they were extinct! Look, what's-"

Close enough.

Bam, knee to the groin. Bam, fist to the nose. Bam, kick him in the gut while he's down.

Okay, time to leave. Door?

You must be joking. Window it is.

I ran over to the window, and heaved the frame open. Damnit, it's the upper ring, no other buildings within grabbing distance. Oh, this is going to hurt.

…Wait. What's that?

A street vendor, with a cart. Perfect. Give him a moment to get close enough... five...four...threetwoonego!

"Aaaaaaaaaah!"

"My cabbages!"

Pain pain pain pain get up, roll around on the floor, get up again, fall over a loose cabbage, get up again, run like a madman.

Another flawless escape.

–

The Guardian.

He's back. The Great Secretary is finally back. Hooray.

"Grand Secretariat. Have you had any time to consider our... situation?"

He smirked, and nodded. "Certainly." He gestured, and two of his mute henchmen hefted forward a large, heavy looking box. "As a ...token of goodwill, may I present these uniforms, identical to those worn by the Royal Guard of the Earth King. There are ten." He smirked widely at that, for some reason. "And any representatives you wish to appoint are invited under my authority as Grand Secretariat to visit the Palace, and will be accommodated there. Just so they can learn their way around, to... smooth the process over."

Azula glanced up, suspicion in her eyes. Ty Lee, however, was more interested in the uniforms, and pulled out a black helmet.

...While I approve of the colour scheme, I really could lose the plumage.

His Grand Secretariness continued. "And, since we are being so friendly, allow me to present this piece of information as a gesture of goodwill. Recently, a figure has appeared in Ba Sing Se, and has quickly gained the reputation as the finest tea-maker in the city, no small feat. He is old, short, and fairly rotund."

Seriously. Why does he think this is relevant?

"He is accompanied by a young man, fairly tall, and would be quite handsome, if not for the quite _tragic_ scar." At this, the snake quite deliberately placed his left hand over his eye.

Azula's eyes widened. "Well... that is... certainly interesting."

Oh shit. Oh shit oh shit oh shit.

Not content with killing Zuko, the smug snake continued. "Will you take me up on my offer?"

Azula was on her feet now, positively manic with energy. "I believe we could find the time." She turned her head. "Field Marshall, I want seven of your best men assembled. We're going to Ba Sing Se."

Oh, so there's _one_ good thing about all this. I thought for half a second that Azula was going to leave me behind.

But that doesn't help much.

What am I going to _do_?

–

The Assassin.

The others were a little surprised when I pushed the door to our house open with much unnecessary aplomb.

...Sure. Like _you've_ never wanted to announce your entrance by kicking the door open. I just had the guts to do it. Adrenaline may have helped, since I had essentially run across the city.

"Sokka! Where have you been? We were just about to start looking for you!" Katara chided.

"Hey guys! Did you know the Dai Li has been stopping our mail?"

Before anyone could answer, I dropped the scrolls I had collected onto the breakfast table, excluding the one about Zuko, which was in my bag. No sense dropping that one on them right now.

Katara and Aang began rooting through them, Aang finding the report on him and his potential to be a threat. As he read, his eyes widened, until his eyes finally jerked from the scroll to look at me.

"Sokka, where did you _get_ these?" he asked, surprisingly quietly.

I shrugged. "I broke into the Dai Li headquarters, of course. They've got a whole room full of stuff like this."

"What do they say?" Toph asked.

"This one... is for you, Toph. It says it's from your Mom! She's in the city and wants to meet you!" Well, I guess the Bei Fongs have been displaced by the war too.

Toph was quiet at that, for a little while. To fill the silence, Katara grabbed the last scroll.

"This is... about Dad! He's at Chameleon Bay!" She looked up at me, excitement plain in her eyes. I nodded.

"One of us should go to him. Katara, you should try to persuade him to communicate directly with the Council of Five. We'll need the support of his fleet if we're going to-"

I was cut off by a hand on my shoulder.

"Sokka. You're going to see him. No argument." Her tone of voice brooked no disagreement.

I had anticipated this, and I have several arguments against it. But I can't remember any of them. The only thing that actually comes from my throat is some kind of choked noise that may or may not have been a thank you.

**--**

**The chapter title was used by Newton in his Second Law of Motion to describe momentum. Literally: "Change of Motion". Hopefully, my reasons for choosing it should be apparent. Little shorter than usual, and later, but you get what you pay for.  
**


	22. Wayward Son

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Wayward Son.**

–

The Assassin.

Eventually, it was decided that Toph would go visit her mother, while Aang and I would go to Chameleon Bay, and Katara would stay behind, in case we were given any messages (or, unbeknownst to her, Zuko decided to come around). It felt a little cruel to leave her with the very real possibility that Zuko might show up at an inconvenient moment and be annoying, but I couldn't mention it now- for starters, it would just throw everything into confusion, and delay everyone's departure, and I was keen for this to be over as soon as possible. Splitting up was risky enough, and I wanted it over and done with.

But then again, Toph would most likely be back later today, so the risk was really minimal. I guess I'm just jumping at shadows. Blame my lack of sleep.

"We'll see you in a couple of days," Aang said, from astride his bison's head.

"Have a good trip! Say hi to Dad for me!" Katara replied cheerfully, as we rose into the air.

I tried to convince myself that the churning feeling in my stomach was unease at flying again. I wasn't particularly successful.

–

The flight was silent until we left the walls of Ba Sing Se far behind, Aang keeping his eyes straight ahead. It was a little unnerving, actually.

"There's something I want to talk to you about," he suddenly said, in a calm voice. "It actually came up earlier this morning, but I didn't want to bring it up then, mainly 'cause I didn't want to cause a scene."

What's he getting at?

"The scroll about all of us that you got hold of contains an entry on you."

Uh oh.

"It mentions that you've found and met with Prince Zuko and General Iroh. But you never mentioned that to any of us. I just wanna know why, that's all. I mean, I'm sure you've got a good reason."

...There's no delicate way of putting this, is there? "I was going to tell you."

"But you _didn't_, did you? You waited long enough for the people watching us to compile a _report_ on it, and you _still_ haven't told us." He snapped, just a bit, then. Can't really blame him. "When, exactly, were you going to tell us? When it was convenient for you?"

Then he... sagged. "It's like I thought. You don't trust me, do you?"

Ah. The crux of it all.

"I... trust you to be you." I stood up, the wind blowing the strands of hair that had escaped my wolftail back over my head.

"Wow, Sokka, that almost sounds like it's a good thing until you think about it. You'd make a good politician." He sounds a lot more bitter than I've ever heard him before.

"Aang... here's the thing. I found Zuko and Iroh literally by _accident_. I stumbled on them, and tried to take the opportunity to persuade them to help us. But Zuko didn't want anything to do with it. I figured that if I told everyone, you'd all want a crack at talking to him, which would probably have just driven him away more than anything else. So I made the call."

Aang looked over at me. "I... I guess I can kind of see where you're coming from there. Look, Sokka, you're a good guy, and I really appreciate what you've done for Toph"

Which is nothing more than try to fix something I screwed up in the first place, but whatever, let's roll with it

"but you _really_ have got to let us know when you do stuff like this. I don't know whether you want to protect us, or you don't think we can handle it, or us being in the dark is all part of your plan, or _whatever_, and I really don't care, you can't just decide what it's better for us to not know."

Oh dear. "Aang, listen to me. I did what I did because I figured that it had the best chance of getting the best outcome. It didn't hurt anyone, and if it works we'll be that much closer to fulfilling our goals."

"'Our'?" Aang was incredulous. "Sokka, there's no 'our' _involved_. You're not telling us what you're planning, you wouldn't let us help you even if you _did_, and I don't even know what _your_ 'goals' even _are_!"

"Damnit, Aang, I want to _win_! And we _can't do that_ if we just sit around waiting for good things to happen, and we will _lose_ if the grand extent of our plan is 'show up at Palace, fight Fire Lord, kill Fire Lord.' _We. Will. Die._"

"So what's _your_ plan, Sokka? Cut every throat between us and victory? _Murder _our way to peace?"

"If that's what has to be done, _yes_."

"But then you're just perpetuating violence! Nothing will _change_!"

_Damnit_, I knew this would become a problem. "Aang, _there's no other way_. We can't fight them on even terms, we can't avoid their armies, and we _can't_ win this war without hitting the Fire Nation until they can't hit us back any more."

Aang shook his head, turning his back. But he had one more remark.

"There's _always_ another way, Sokka. You're just afraid to go look for it."

Of all the... childish... _naïve_...

I flopped onto my back, and glared at the gathering clouds.

Afraid? Of _what_?

–

The rest of the flight passed in the kind of silence that rocks envy, but finally we spiralled down into the wide mouth of Chameleon Bay.

It's time for our occasional update; How Stressed Is Sokka? Well, right now, it's hovering somewhere between 'Insides Attempting To Climb Up Spine And Strangle Brain' and 'Brain Rappelling Down To Meet Them'.

Heads turned as we touched down, and I slid down the side of our mount. Once on the sand, I moved forward slowly, as Aang leapt down with unnatural grace.

In spite of our disagreement, I felt extremely grateful to him then, since his display of casual airbending, combined with everything else, diverted almost all attention to him. Even without the suspicious looks, I still found myself nervously gripping my stick, a bad habit, considering what conclusions would be drawn if it was known what my stick actually was.

But even the presence of the Avatar didn't distract everyone. As I shuffled self-consciously into camp, wondering exactly what to do next, one figure took it upon himself to greet me.

"Can I help you?" a voice asked, slightly wary. It was one I recognised, just barely.

I turned around.

Holy shit. He's actually almost as tall as I remember.

Now, I have no idea whatsoever what I should say. So... I guess I'm winging it, then.

"Hi, Bato," I said, ignoring the tightening in my gut. Idly, I hoped that that was actually his name. It was getting hard to remember. I was _pretty_ sure it was Bato.

"How do you know my name?"

I laughed, high and nervous. I think I must have creeped him out a bit.

"Well, it's been a few years. I figure I would have changed a bit. Is Dad around?" I tried to come off as amused. It was easier than I had thought, although I probably came off as horribly fake.

He blinked, confused, and tilted his head sideways. "Dad'?..." Realisation hit, suddenly. "..._Sokka_?"

More than one head turned. Half-remembered faces turned to look in puzzlement, ghosts standing to get a better look.

"Yep. Got it in one. ...How's life?" I added, since babbling was easier than actually trying to stay perfectly composed.

"But... how- no, that's not important right now. Come with me, your father's this way, and he'll skin me alive if he finds out I've delayed you." He looked at me while we walked through the camp, and started to laugh, softly.

"It _is_ you, right? Hakoda's boy?"

I nodded.

"Good. Just making sure."

He was curious to know how exactly this turn of events came about, but he didn't say anything until we reached a large dark blue tent.

"Go on," he said. "We have a meeting soon, but it can be postponed."

"Thanks" I said, not trusting my composure to survive more than one syllable. Taking a deep breath, I pushed the flap aside and stepped through.

"Chuluun? Do you have the- you're not Chuluun."

His voice is exactly as I remembered- strong, but quiet, steady. He was seated at a long, rough table, probably brought from one of the ships. He looked tired.

He looked up, observing me gravely. "Yes?"

"Dad-" I don't know what I was going to say, but I don't have the control to say anything else anyway.

It's enough. His eyes widen. "What?"

he stands up, and moves around the table. He's shorter than I remembered. "It's... no, it _can't _be... _Sokka_?"

There's something in my eyes. It might be water.

"Dad."

"But- …_how_?"

I don't think I'm capable of words right now. Instead, it's all I can do to run up to him and grab him in a fierce hug. After a moment of hesitation, I feel shaking arms around my shoulders. And I pretend, just for a moment, that everything isn't a giant mess.

–

The Guardian.

Okay. I will say it now, just to get it out of the way. If I don't, I'll keep mentioning it, and distracting from the point (whatever the point may be).

These uniforms are _horrible_. They're bulky, heavy, the helmets mean you can't hear properly, the collar means your every breath is bounced right back at you, which is a lot more annoying than it sounds, the armour is top-heavy, I keep tripping over the skirt-thing, the sleeves mean I can't access my dart launchers (at least those two, anyway) and of course I can't keep any daggers there. I'm reduced to keeping a couple of throwing knives in my _pockets_. The armoured shoulders mean I can barely throw (when I tried, I missed by a whole _inch_. Do you _know_ how much difference an inch can make? Lots. (That's what _she_ said) Ugh. I have _got_ to stop doing that), and to top it all of, the helmet has a big red feather on the top. On the plus side, it's not likely that anyone is going to recognise me. Even _Ty Lee_ looks less feminine in hers.

Okay, I'm done.

Anyway, we waited for nightfall, since even though the uniforms would help, anyone who looked too closely would see that neither Azula, Ty Lee or myself are bearded earthbender types. Once assembled, the Amazing Secretary's five men got in a ring around us, and dropped their hands.

On cue, the ground dropped as well, a bubble of air sinking into the ground, and we were plunged into darkness.

"Everyone, please hold still." The smug bastard's voice came from somewhere to my right. "This should not take long."

And then the rumbling started, and the ground beneath my feet quaked. Luckily, since it was dark, no one saw me fall over.

–

After about five minutes- oh, who am I kidding, I have no idea how long we were down in the dark, trying not to breathe too deeply in order to conserve oxygen (well, _I_ was, anyway). Suffice to say it ended, and we popped up in a field near the inside of the Outer Wall. We were ushered up a flight of stone steps, and were seated in a tram, which was quite uncomfortable, but at least I could breathe. As the strange vehicle began to move, I started to think in earnest.

I had no time to put it off. I needed to work out what to do. There might not be time to consider it soon, and I didn't want to have to improvise. I'm very bad at spontaneity.

The hard truth is this. If I'm going to keep Zuko safe, Azula and the seven men she as brought need to die in Ba Sing Se. There's no way around that. Then, perhaps, I can somehow leave the city and travel to Omashu, grab Mom, Dad and Tom-Tom, and drag them back here.

...Yeah, _that_'ll go down well.

'Hi Mom, hi Dad, guess what? I murdered Princess Azula, so you all have to come with me to Ba Sing Se and become refugees so the Fire Lord doesn't execute the lot of you."

No... wait a second...

If Azula and these seven bozos all buy the farm here... then there'll be no one to rat me out, and the Field Marshall will have to write this off as a failure, but not actually know what happened... so all I'll have to do is persuade Ty Lee to ...help? No. There's a chance that things will fail, and if they do, I'm not going to be responsible for dragging her down with me. So all I'll have to do is take down seven elite firebenders and one of the most deadly people on the planet. No problem.

–

**Arg arg arg I had severe writer's block on this one. I rewrote the conversation between Aang and Sokka about three times from scratch, and I _still_ think it's too preachy.**

**Still, since Writer's Block Is No Excuse, I soldiered on, and eventually things got easier. Specifically once I stopped writing Sokka's bit.**

**Also, Carry On Wayward Son, by Some Eighties Band is one of the Official (at least in my mind) Theme Songs For This Story. The others will crop up at appropriate times. Sometimes it's the feel of the song, but this one is more about the lyrics. See if you can spot why.**

**Also, Holy Oversized A/N, Batman.  
**


	23. Fortunate One

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Fortunate One.**

The Assassin.

We talked, Dad and me, for most of the night. We talked about everything, nothing, and a good deal of the stuff in between. I told my story, and he told me his. We talked about Katara, the War, and the Avatar. Eventually, I must have drifted off to sleep by the fire.

When I woke up the next morning, I found that a long cloak had been draped around my shoulders.

–

The Guardian.

We had been ushered to a series of guest rooms within the palace. I hadn't managed to get a good look at Ba Sing Se, having been bundled into a carriage as soon as we left the tram, but I had seen cities before.

We were given some sets of clothes, apparently servant's uniforms. While aesthetically only marginally more pleasing than the bulky military uniforms that the seven soldiers still had to wear, they were at least far more comfortable. That's hardly worth noting, though, as anything short of underwear carved from blocks of ice would be more comfortable than those uniforms.

Azula was itching to get under way, but the Grand Receptionist had told her that we needed to take a couple of days to get everything ready, and that we should get to know the palace a little better first. He had also given us some rather useful advice.

"When you leave your rooms, may I suggest you carry something like towels, or some scrolls, or an empty tray with you, and always look as if you know where you are going. No one will bother you as long as you look busy enough."

Fair enough, I suppose.

But anyway, this is all just recapping. Right now, it's the morning, and I'm lying in bed. It is truly wonderful, after weeks and weeks of sleeping in a portable bed, to look up and see a proper ceiling, and look to the left and see a window, and look to the right and see Ty Lee-

"Aagh!"

She looked down at me, scowling. "Are you going to get up at all today? It's almost noon."

"Why should I?"

She shrugged. "Because I have nothing to do?"

"Go annoy Azula."

"She's not here."

I looked up. "When did that happen?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. She was gone before I got up."

And Ty Lee is one of those crazy people that likes to get up at the crack of dawn. Hmm.

"Alright, alright, I'm getting up."

–

The Assassin.

I found Dad standing near the base of the cliffs surrounding the bay. I tried to give the cloak back to him.

"Keep it," he said, shaking his head, and turned back to what he was looking at. I looked with him. It was Aang, perched on one of the pillars of rock, deep in meditation. As we looked, his tattoos began to glow.

"So this is the one hope for the world," Dad commented. "I hope he's up to it."

I sighed. "I think he is. He's not going to be able to do this alone, but I think he'll rise."

Dad nodded.

"Listen, Dad, I've been trying to figure out a plan, and I was wondering if you could help me out with it." When he nodded, I continued. "What kind of strength do the Fire Nation have in the lakes?"

Dad shook his head. "More than we can deal with, and there will be more still soon, I'll wager. We're restricted to hit-and-run attacks and ambushes. We can't fight them in open battle."

I nodded. "I figured as much. So how about the Northern Water Tribe? I mean, if we could get their support then we could go toe-to-toe with the Fire Navy."

Dad nodded. "We've tried, but communication has always been problematic up there- messenger hawks wouldn't survive the conditions, and I can't spare anyone to go there. I understand that the Earth King has, or had, messenger birds bred for the Arctic, and we have tried to send word to him, but we never received any answer."

Bother.

"Ba Sing Se is... awkward, right now. But we're working on it. Hopefully, soon enough we should be able to talk to the Earth King" even if it means breaking into the palace. "If we can't in time, then Aang would probably be able to fly up there and talk to whoever is in charge."

Dad sighed. "It won't be easy, even with their help. But I guess that goes without saying these days."

Too right.

–

The Guardian.

I was on the hunt. Azula had been missing all day, and the afternoon was wearing away. It was suspicious, and more to the point, it meant that I was cooped up in the guest quarters with Ty Lee.

I rounded a corner, a stack of folded towels in my hands, and stopped dead as I heard the voice of the Mighty Receptionist, coming from a room to my right.

"A _break in_? Who saw this?" Wow. He sounds pissed.

"Agent Lei, sir. He gave a physical description... here, sir. Also, here is a list of the missing scrolls."

There's a rustling of paper.

"Hmm."

"Sir? What should we do?"

"Write a letter." He sounds suddenly calmer. "Write a letter to the Upper Ring, 42 Zhong Shan Road. Are you noting this down?"

This guy's sounding more like one of the professors at the Academy all the time.

"Yes, sir."

"Excellent. Tell them that their request for a meeting with the Council of Five has been put through, and they will meet with them this evening."

"Yes, sir."

There's a scraping chair, and I quickly move on.

Well, what was all that about?

Probably trapping someone who coughed too loudly. I approve. I _hate_ loud coughing.

–

It was much later, and I _still_ hadn't found Azula. It was getting annoying. And I _still_ hadn't figured out how I was going to go about what I had to do, past deciding that I had to keep Ty Lee out of it. For a start, she would hardly approve, sentimentalist that she is. Secondly, it's too risky to get her involved.

Eventually, I returned to the guest rooms, where Ty Lee was waiting, looking bored.

"Find her?"

"Nope. Oh well." As she flopped down on a chair, I headed over to the bookshelf. Anything interesting? I doubt it, but hope springs eternal.

–

The Assassin.

I had spent the day poking around the camp, generally being nosy. I had had a look at the various weapons that had been designed to fight the superior Fire Navy ships, some of which were pretty inventive. I had also watched some of the men training, and had been lucky enough to watch two men engage in a sparring match, both of them using the two-spear fighting technique unique to the Southern Water Tribe. It was really quite spectacular, and looked frighteningly difficult.

As the sun went down, I headed back to where Aang had been meditating. I was surprised to see him still there- he hadn't moved all day.

Suddenly, the glow died, and his eyes snapped open. He stood too quickly, and fell from his column, just managing to right himself before he landed. As he stood, I ran towards him.

"Are you alright?"

He looked up at me, his face grave.

"Katara's in danger."

–

The Guardian.

Azula burst in, looking annoyed. And just as I'd found a good book, too. It was about this guy who kept getting pestered by this magician and his bearded friends, who crashed his house and ate all his food and roped him into this adventure to find lots of gold (always a worthy cause, if you ask me) even though he really didn't want to, but he was too polite to say no, and they had just run into these three giant monsters who had captured them and were arguing about how they were going to eat them and...

...Look, I _really_ wanted to know what happened next, alright?

"Where is he?"

"Who?"

"Long Feng. The Grand Secretariat."

Oh, so _that's_ his name. "Dunno."

Azula scowled. "Well, I'm getting impatient. There's no reason to delay any longer."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and the newly-named Long Feng arrived, looking as smugly sleek as ever.

"Good evening, Princess. I'm pleased to announce that everything is in place. We are ready to begin."

Crap crap crap crap I thought I'd have more _time_, damnit.

"But first, would you care for some _tea_?"

_Crap_.

–

The Assassin.

"What did you see?" I asked, as we hurried towards the sky bison, barely stopping to grab my stick.

"She was chained up, in a cavern somewhere."

"Nothing more specific?"

"_No_."

I frowned. Better not piss Aang off any more than I already have.

Dad was hurrying towards us.

"What's wrong?"

"Aang had a vision. Katara's in danger back in Ba Sing Se. We have to go back."

His face froze, and then he rested a hand on my shoulder.

"Good luck." He appeared to remember something. "Wait just one moment." With that he dashed into his tent, and reappeared momentarily, carrying something small, wrapped in blue cloth. He handed it to me, and I unwrapped it. It was a metal boomerang, in a leather pouch. I had had one, smaller, and made of bone, when I was young. I used to be pretty good with it, I remember.

"I was going to give it to you when you turned fourteen, but..."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Now go. And good luck."

–

The Guardian.

We walked through the Upper Ring, Azula, Ty Lee, myself (obviously) and about seven Dai Li agents.

What was I going to _do_?

Eventually, we arrived at an up market tea house. The Jasmine Dragon. Swanky.

"Mai, if you would do the honours?" Azula smirked. Bitch.

Heart pounding, I opened the door, and stepped inside, barely noticing the way Azula ducked out of sight from the doorway.

"I'm sorry, but we're... _Mai_?"

Um... "Hi. ...Nice apron."

"Mai, but what are you-"

I was about to say something- run, get out of here, hi, how are you, I don't know. But I was rudely interrupted.

"_Brother_, how _are_ you?"

The broom drops with a clatter.

"_Azula._"

Wow. That was the single largest hiss I have ever heard.

"What are _you_ doing here?" he asked.

Azula gestured expansively. "Taking over. What else? And you can join me, Zuko. Help me conquer Ba Sing Se, and I will help you capture the Avatar. You can come home. You will have Father's love again. Your honour will be restored."

Don't believe her, Zuko. She's lying don't believe her you know her she's a lying psychopath don't listen to her don't you _dare _be so stupid that you get killed over this.

But Azula said the H-Word. Zuko can't resist the H-Word.

Azula was in front of me now, having stepped forwards. Zuko was uncharacteristically blank and inscrutable. Time for me to chip in.

I slowly and deliberately, but silently, let a dagger drop into my right hand, the one Azula was not obscuring. Zuko noticed. I don't care if he thinks I'm trying to kill him, or he figures out that I'm on his side, and Azula is distinctly bad for his health, just as long as he gets the idea that his life is in clear and unpleasant danger here.

He looked up, glaring at Azula's outstretched hand.

"Well, brother?"

"Go to Hell."

_Yes!_ Now all you have to do is survive the next thirty seconds. If he attacks from the front, I can deal with a few agents behind me, and-

Suddenly, a side door slams open, and into the room bursts General Iroh. He might as well have been accompanied by a choir singing 'Oh, you poor bastards are all so very dead, a la troo la le'. It's a measure of his reputation that the fact that he appeared to be wielding a teapot didn't diminish from his menace.

"Well done, Nephew."

"...You were _spying _on me?" Zuko sounds surprised more than anything else.

"Well, I didn't want to influence your decision. I would have intervened if you had been in any danger, of course."

Azula fumed. "_Uncle_."

He didn't even speak to her. Didn't even _look_ at her.

...Actually, he looks kind of uncomfortable around her. Wonder why.

Suddenly, his wrist flicked, and he hurled his teapot at one of the Dai Li. From the way the guy screamed as the china hit his face, the thing must have just boiled. Ouch.

"Zuko, you remember what we discussed?" Iroh said, without turning his head. His voice had changed suddenly, becoming commanding, authoritative. Right then it was easy to see how he was a leader.

"Uncle-"

"We have argued this out already, Zuko. Do as we arranged."

"-Alright."

Azula looked baffled by all this, and prepared a stance. The Dai Li mimicked her. Shit. Shit shit shit.

"On three?" Zuko asked.

"On three." As Azula swung a sharp kick that would blast Iroh with fire, he casually stepped back, and grabbed her ankle in one hand. "Three," he said, calmly, as he pushed her to the ground.

Zuko then did the most sensible thing he had ever done in his life. He dived out the window.

Oh. Okay then.

Azula stood, snarling, and General Iroh rolled up his sleeves, exposing his forearms. He took a stance I had never seen, and breathed deeply.

You could hear a pin drop in the silence. Almost literally.

"Ty Lee, go after Zuko. Subdue him, and bring him back here. Now."

Ty Lee glanced at me as she walked out the door. She looked practically mournful.

That's out of my hands, now. I can't worry about it.

Suddenly, General Iroh stepped forward, much faster than his size would have suggested. It was all Azula could do to avoid his hand, which was curled like a lion's claws. There was no fire at all, but the air rippled and turned to water around his hand, and I literally had to take a step back to avoid the pure _heat_.

Azula looked less affected, but she moved backwards as another hand swiped at her. Spinning, she loosed a blast of flame, but before it touched anything, Iroh was in front of it, absorbing the fire and exhaling it as a jet of steam.

"I would really rather you not destroy my tea shop."

Eccentric git.

Azula snarled, and started to leap forwards, foot extended, but Iroh grabbed her leg and swung her around, hurling her bodily into two Dai Li men and knocking all three into the street.

Ha ha.

"_Get him_!" Azula snarled, and on cue the Dai Li encircled the emerging Iroh. Gloves were launched, but he twisted and ducked, and they missed entirely, or collided with the man on the other side of the circle. Coming out of the pirouette, Iroh slammed a fist forwards, catching an agent in the chest, and he went down, his torso aflame, his face a picture of silent agony. Ow.

The second attack was better. Half the men threw rocks, which again he ignored, but another two launched chains at his ankles, and he went down hard. One agent went to tie his hands, but Iroh wasn't done yet, evidently.

…

...You know, I had always assumed that the title 'Dragon of the West' was because he had, you know, _killed a dragon_. That's how you _get_ the title, isn't it? Not, _not_ for being able to breathe fire.

It was effective, though. I mean, look what it did to that guy's _head_. Nasty.

Suddenly, four more stone hands shot forwards, two grabbing Iroh's own hands, and another set covering his mouth. Well, so much for him.

"What should we do with him, Your Highness?" a Dai Li man asked.

"Take him with us. Zuko won't leave him behind, assuming he gets away from Ty Lee. Is there somewhere we can keep him while we deal with everything else?"

"Well, there is Old Ba Sing Se, Your Highness. It's a series of catacombs below the Palace. He'll never get out of there unless he suddenly learns to earthbend."

"Excellent."

Suddenly, Ty Lee dropped off a roof to join us.

"Well?" Azula asked. Ty Lee simply shook her head.

...Hmm.

"No matter. Come on, we have things to do."

...Zuko could _never_ have gotten away from Ty Lee just like that. She doesn't look hurt, so she didn't fight him off or anything...

She looked over at me, and inclined her head. It's possible that it might have been a nod.

...She let him get away, didn't she? Aw, that's so nice of her.

**--**

**Oh me oh my.**


	24. Convergence

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Convergence.**

–

The Assassin.

We flew through the night. I tried to sleep- after all, I would be less effective if I was tired- but it evaded me. Bastard thing.

Yes, I am swearing at the concept of sleep.

One of the things keeping me up, more specific than the gnawing dread in the pit of my stomach, was wondering exactly _who_ had captured Katara. I was assuming that it was the Dai Li, but _why_? Had she done something that annoyed them? Were they moving against the Avatar, and had just picked the wrong time? Why would they attack the Avatar?

Ugh.

Suddenly, Aang started.

"Look! What's that?"

I crawled over to the side of the saddle, and looked down. An enormous dust cloud was being kicked up, moving almost as quickly as us, and heading for the city. Aang swerved the bison down towards it, and as we got closer we could see the land rippling, until it almost looked like a sea. Closer still, and we could see the focus point of the disturbance. It looked like...

_Toph_? ….Well, I guess her family reunion didn't go too well.

Aang caught my eye, and I shrugged, as we descended until we were level with her. She looked mightily pissed off.

"Need a ride?"

"Awk!"

...He he... oops.

–

The Guardian.

We made our way to the palace in silence. Azula looked like she was torn between fuming and gloating. The result wasn't pretty, although it was fairly amusing. Her face was screwed up until it looked like the back end of a cat.

Once we arrived at the palace, we passed several guards, in pairs. I recognised most of them as men we had brought with us. The few earthbenders on duty in the corridors were completely surrounded, although they didn't know it, leaving us with a clear path to ...whatever our objective was right now. I'll confess I hadn't really been listening.

At a crossroads in the corridors, the Dai Li wordlessly marched General Iroh away. He looked oddly serene, and I wondered if anyone else was as worried by that as I was. No one looks that calm in the clutches of Azula, not unless they have a plan.

In any case, that was out of our hands now. The three of us made our way through the palace, led by Azula's seemingly infallible sense of direction (by which I mean it looked like she knew what she was doing. We could have been guessing wildly for all I knew) until we finally arrived at the biggest and fanciest doors I had ever seen.

I noted that the two guards on either side were Fire Nation. Well, no one can say that Azula isn't thorough.

On her cue, the guards began to pull the doors apart. Once there was enough room, we slipped between them.

The throne room was spacious, and designed on similar principles to the throne room of the Fire Lord, but more airy. And less red. There was, of course, stone everywhere. Interestingly, however, I noted that there was a rack of swords, almost hidden behind the throne, but designed so that the man sitting on the throne could grab one easily.

Interesting. So the Earth Kings are not necessarily benders. Well, it's nice to see us normals are able to find success in all fields.

Speaking of the Earth King, he was sitting idly on his chair, picking at what looked like an entire duck. He was a thin man, fairly young, late twenties perhaps, with a tall head, and small reading glasses. If not for his robes, which were fine indeed, he would have seemed more like a librarian than a king.

He delicately tore a leg from the duck, before picking up the rest of the bird, and leaning down to give it to … to...

Well, it looked like a platypus-bear, only without a beak and tail. Then again, it also looked like a skunk-bear, but without the markings or long tail. So what, it's a ...bear?

This city is starting to give me the creeps. The silk jacket and hat are kind of funny, though.

Azula was not amused, and strode up to the King, who was engrossed in the activities of his pet.

"The Earth King, I presume?" she asked, smirking.

"One moment, please. I am feeding Bosco."

Azula looked completely thrown, enough that she stayed silent while the man smiled at the creature and scratched it behind the ears. Once the beast was gnawing happily at the roast carcass, the Earth King sat straight and delicately wiped his hands on a cloth that had been placed next to his plate.

"Now, may I help you?" His voice confirmed his age, but I have to say, as a veteran of many, many elocution lessons (most of which, I am proud to say, I paid no attention to once I had passed the class), his manners were _exemplary_.

"Certainly," Azula said, regaining her composure. "I am Princess Azula of the Fire Nation." Her tone was impressive, and intimidating. She obviously intended to cow this man before locking him up and explaining the new status quo to him.

"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Princess, but I must confess I received no word of your coming. Is there a reason for your surprise visit?"

My respect for this guy just spiked. He was _openly sarcastic _to _Princess Azula_.

_Bloody Hell_.

Azula looked surprised again. I guess that this wasn't how she had expected things to go.

"While I am of course honoured to host the daughter of the Fire Lord, I am afraid that you have me at something of a disadvantage. Indeed, I am only up because Bosco was hungry. But enough about my troubles- would you care for some refreshment? There is some really quite excellent wine I have been saving for an occasion such as this." His tone was polite to the point where it became obvious he was openly taking the piss. Not only that, but he kept eye contact with Azula the entire time, never once flinching as she got angrier and angrier.

This guy has some _serious _balls.

"I am afraid that refreshment will have to wait. I regret to inform you that once Long Feng arrives, we will have serious matters to discuss." Ah, Azula has decided to play along.

Suddenly, the ...creature looked up from its meal, and growled at the Princess.

"Bosco, please!" the Kind snapped. "Not in front of the guests. Now," he said, his tone smooth once again. "since we are going to be waiting for Long Feng, are you sure you would not care for some food or drink?"

Azula sighed, thoroughly beaten. "I suppose it would be impolite to refuse."

"Wonderful," the King beamed, revelling in his small victory. He leaned to his left, and pulled a rope, at which the sound of a bell was faintly heard in another room. A few moments later, a side door opened, and a servant stepped through and bowed.

"Refreshments, if you please, for myself and three guests."

"Certainly, your Highness," the servant replied, his eyes respectfully on the ground.

Well, this might not be so bad. I am kind of hungry.

–

The Assassin.

Metalbending.

_Metalbending._

I can barely get my head around it. Sure, firebenders can channel lightning, and some waterbenders are rumoured to be able to bend the water in _anything_, including the human body (the thought makes me shudder) but in either case they are usually taught how to do it. Toph made this up from scratch, because she realised that there was no other way out.

It's extraordinary, and I will have to mull over the consequences later. But for now, dawn is breaking, and we are touching down outside our house.

"Okay, first thing we have to do is look for clues," I said, as we dismounted and headed for the door. "Anything that's out of place, no matter how small, could be-"

"There's someone in there!" Toph shouted, and Aang wrenched the door open.

There, sitting on a cushion, legs crossed, was Prince Zuko.

"_Zuko_?" Toph asked, incredulously.

"What are _you_ doing here?" That was Aang.

"Where's Katara?" And that was me. If Zuko was stupid enough to capture Katara as bait...

He looked up, one eye wide, the scarred one immobile as ever. I guess his nerves there were fried. "You've got to help me." He sounds panicked. "She's here. She's in the city. _She took Uncle_." Scratch panicked, this guy's _frantic_.

"Calm down, Zuko. Take a deep breath. Start over, slowly, this time," Aang advised.

Zuko complied, breathing deep. "Azula. Azula's in the city. I don't know how, but she's here. She told me I should help her, that she was going to take over the city. She came to the shop, Uncle said that if something like this was going to happen, I should go to you guys, you could help."

Azula.

Oh _fuck_.

Azula in the city, Katara in danger... they're linked. I just _know _it.

Aang looks panicked, and even Toph looks worried.

"We've got to do something," Aang said.

"The palace. That's where she'll be heading," I said, hurrying to my room. "She'll be going after the Earth King."

–

The Guardian.

Azula was locked in a battle of wills, and she was losing. It really was quite funny to see.

We were kneeling on large, exquisitely soft cushions before the throne. A couple of low tables had been set before us, laden with delicacies (they even had _fire flakes_, somehow), and the King had his own, by his throne.

Face set grimly, Azula raised her tea cup to the King. In return, he simply smiled mildly and raised his own in reply. A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead as she attempted an easy smile.

That's Earth King: One, Azula: Nil.

I tried the tea. It was really quite good. Ty Lee, however, seemed more interested in a plate of... little golden squares of pastry of some description. She was displaying a level of enthusiasm that was quite impolite. Misinterpreting my look, she passed the plate over.

Oh well. Might as well try one. Don't want to cause a fuss. Besides, they look edible enough.

Oh.

Oh my.

They appear to have been soaked in honey, and there are crushed almonds on the top.

Well. That's quite nice.

Actually, I think I'll have another.

"So," the King said, pleasantly. "Are you staying long in Ba Sing Se?"

Azula smirked. "I believe that we may stay for a while, yes." The threat there was plain.

"Wonderful. I hope you will stay long enough to see the Zoo. I just yesterday approved renovations for it, and signed over a plot of land outside the main wall. I am very interested in the natural world, you see. I have ordered our finest builders to work on the project- normally, they would be tasked to keep the Outer Wall in good repair, but there hasn't been a need for that for some time now, of course. So it should be built within the month."

Azula frowned, and I couldn't blame her. I was lost in the doublespeak- what kind of message was the Earth King trying to get across? That when Long Feng arrived he was going to order us to be fed to the animals in his zoo? That we were going to be forced to build him a zoo? Work in the zoo? He would make us visit the zoo, and we'd have to pretend to be interested?

Oh, I am so confused.

The line about the wall, however, is much clearer. He's just laughing at our admittedly useless besieging force.

It's in his interests to keep the tone polite, as fas as he can know, it's true. Any one of us could easily overpower him in seconds, and he knows that. So he's stalling for time, until his Receptionist gets here, when he can presumably have us locked up. Of course, he isn't aware of Long Feng's treachery.

Azula is only humouring him now out of a sense of pride- she wants to be able to break him at his own game. But it seems he's much better at it than even her.

You see, this is when diplomacy gets interesting.

–

The Assassin.

I've got to get ready.

I grabbed my throwing knife in its sheath, and strapped it in place on the inside of my left forearm. I then pulled my sleeve over the top of it, concealing it. Next was my long knife, which I sheathed and strapped to my belt, on the right. A third knife was strapped to my boot. My short sword was already at my side, and I checked my stick sword to make sure it wasn't jammed or anything. Nope. All fine.

Then came the question of my boomerang.

I wanted to take it. It was a little piece of a home I could barely remember, and I wanted it with me.

But I couldn't use it. I wasn't good enough with it to rely on it in a combat situation.

I left it behind, along with my cloak. Didn't want that to get damaged.

I stepped out into the main room. Aang was grim-faced, and Zuko was looking as agitated as he had when we arrived. Toph was inscrutable.

"Alright," I said, "let's go."

**--**

**Initially, I was going to make this the showdown chapter, but I figured I should save that for a chapter all its own. Don't worry, that will all be posted before I go on holiday.**

**Also, I am a massive Kuei fanboy. Does it show?  
**


	25. Hammer Time

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Hammer Time.**

–

The Assassin.

I will not run. Running wouldn't do more than alert anyone that would be up, and I would just arrive tired. I will not run. Long strides, that's the key. Long strides.

I am not running. I am walking as quickly as I can, taking into account the strength I have in my legs, as well as the fact that Toph, at least, would be left behind if I started running. Aang and Zuko, with their unfair advantage and greater height respectively, would have little trouble keeping pace, however.

I am not running. This palace is a maze, and if I go too fast then I might miss the way to go. I am not running, I am not _going_ to run. I am going to keep up this logical pace, that sets a nice balance between speed and conserving energy.

I am not going to think about what might happen if I turn up too late.

Not at all. No images of Katara being interrogated by Azula, talking back one too many times...

Nope. None at _all_.

I am not running.

It's not my fault if they can't keep up.

–

The hallways pass in a red blur. I must be heading in the right direction- everything looks more expensive than it did when I entered. Suddenly, I found myself at a crossroads in the corridors, and found myself face to face with two members of the Palace Guard, and three Dai Li men.

Crap. What do I do?

Suddenly, one of the Guard slid into a fighting stance.

He is no earthbender.

Fire Nation.

The Fire Nation have taken my sister away.

My vision is clouded. The background recedes, until there's nothing in the world but me and the bastards who took Katara away.

They try to stop me. Try to get in my way. To keep me away from my sister.

They fail.

–

One man remains. One of the Dai Li. He's on the ground, but he's alive. And awake.

My foot comes down again. Pain. Fear.

"Where is she?" I ask.

Silence is my response.

"Where are you keeping her?" Anger. Pain.

He said... something. I couldn't make it out, so I grabbed him by the front of his shirt, and hauled him upright.

"Pardon? Didn't hear that." _Fear_.

"...Old Ba Sing Se. Down that way, to the basements. But you'll need an earthbender."

"Not a problem. Thanks for your cooperation."

"_Sokka!_"

I dropped the man, and turned to see Aang, Zuko and Toph.

"Sokka, you're on fire! Hold still!"

...I'm on fire? Oh, my sleeve. Must have been hit.

Why didn't I notice that? What... what... when...?

_Sokka, get a _grip_. Focus._

I took a deep breath, and the world returned, as the haze retreated. I could see Aang as he blasted my arm with air, blowing the fire out, see Zuko looking intensely uncomfortable, and Toph...

She was shaking.

I didn't have to guess why.

"Sokka..." Aang started.

"Old Ba Sing Se. She's been taken to Old Ba Sing Se. It's down that way," I gestured "down some stairs to the basement. But you'll need to earthbend to get in."

Zuko got a closer look at one of the men in the uniform of the Palace Guard.

"They're Fire Nation," I supplied, somewhat unnecessarily.

"Then they'll be after the Earth King," he replied.

"Sokka, you and Toph go to the King. Warn him, and guard him. Zuko and I will go to Old Ba Sing Se." Aang was commanding now, authoritative, very different to how I knew him.

"But..." No. I've never been there for Katara before; why change the habit of a lifetime? Aang can make sure she's safe, better than I could. "Alright. Let's go."

–

I'm hurt. I didn't notice it before, torn up in my anger and my fear. Now that Aang has gone to save Katara, I feel... still angry. Still scared. But I'm myself again.

And my arm is burned. It kind of hurts.

A glance behind me tells me Toph is keeping pace.

"I'm sorry," I say. I shouldn't talk on the move, but that needs to be said.

"I know. Left."

"What?"

"Left. There's more men, and they don't walk like earthbenders, not most of them."

I don't question how she knows, but it's useful, and we wheel down the corridor.

"Anything else I should know?"

"Two of them are firebenders. They're flanking the earthbender, and walking this way."

Before she could say anything else, we rounded the corner, and ran into the three men. Toph wasted no time in trapping one in the earth, but the other blasted with fire before I could attack. The only thing I could do was twist to avoid the attack, and trip him up with my stick as I stepped forwards. Before I could finish him, the earth swallowed him up to the neck.

I turned to the guard, who looked shaken. "Firebenders? Here?" he asked.

I nodded. "Which way to the throne room?"

"Behind me, then turn right. When you get to the enormous fancy doors, you're there. You're the ones with the Avatar, aren't you?"

Toph nodded. "That's right. How did you know?"

"I heard the Dai Li mention something about you. Look, get to the King, I'll raise the alarm."

"Alright," I said, and we were on the move again.

–

The Guardian.

A bell sounded, deeper, louder, and far more ominous than the one the Earth King rang. I sincerely doubted that this one was going to herald cake.

"Oh my, the alarm!" the Earth King gloated. "Whatever could have happened?"

This man is a _dick_.

Azula stood and pirouetted on her heel, until she was facing the door, features set. Ty Lee rolled backwards from her kneeling position into a handstand, from which she flipped upright. I got up.

Now. Now is the time. If there ever was an opportunity to stick a knife between Azula's ribs, this is it.

I shrugged my left shoulder, dropping a knife into my hand. I shifted slightly, moving almost imperceptibly closer to her. I chose my target. She's not wearing armour- I'm almost spoiled for choice.

Suddenly, there was a crash, and one of the enormous doors was knocked inwards with a clang. As the dust settled, I could make out two figures stepping through. Guards? Dai Li? Overenthusiastic servants with cake?

..._Sweeper?_

What the _fuck_?

Azula looked stunned. Her mouth worked crazily, as if she was trying to speak, but no sound came out of it. I couldn't see Ty Lee's expression, since Azula was in the way. I could guess, though.

I turned back to the Sweeper.

Wait a second. That short girl, she's one of the Avatar's friends, isn't she? So he's turned traitor? It must be catching.

"_Get them!_" Azula screeched. Neither of us moved for a moment, but then we sluggishly moved into action.

Damnit, couldn't you have waited five minutes?

The Assassin.

I wasn't expecting this. Call me an idiot, call me distracted, but I really wasn't expecting Ty Lee to be here.

But she is here. And we're going to have to fight.

No. I won't. Not unless I haven't got a choice.

Toph wheels to the left, and launches a diagonal pillar of earth at Ty. I attempt to reconcile the horrible twisting in my gut with what I know I should be feeling, and fail completely. I am also aware that I should feel something other than relief when Ty flips away unharmed, but I don't.

The Guardian.

The Sweeper isn't paying me any attention. Normally, I wouldn't mind this, but I feel Azula's eyes on the back of my head, and my right arm spins in a lazy circle, launching a flurry of darts at him, which he avoids without any difficulties.

The Assassin.

Crap crap crap _knives_, that one almost hit me! Should have been paying attention, Sokka. I step forward, and there really should be a dramatic sound of tearing steel. There isn't, but there really should be. My sheath isn't lines with metal, so there's only an un-melodramatic 'shk'. I feel cheated.

Sky. I'll go with sky. The strength of the attacks isn't really important- Mai isn't armoured. Besides, she doesn't have to die here. She might be a bargaining chip when it comes to Omashu.

I take a step forward, and ready myself as she shifts, no doubt preparing to turn me into a pincushion.

"This fight is _over_."

Everyone froze, and all heads turned to see Azula grabbing the Earth King in a choke hold, a tiny blue flame held next to his throat. Oh _fuck_. Should really have expected that. Stupid stupid stupid.

"Drop your weapons. Now."

I haven't got a choice. My swordstick tumbles to the ground. Toph puts her hands up.

Now what?

"Sweeper." Azula sounds like she's fighting to keep herself calm. "You appear to have betrayed me."

Well, yeah.

"Why? You know the consequences for your actions."

"Sorry, but that's not gonna fly any more." It took me long enough, but I'm wise to your deceptions.

"I... see. Well, you will understand the foolishness of your choice soon enough. Ty Lee." She sounds like she is trying to keep a leash on her composure.

Oh no. No no no everything is slipping through my fingers _no_. To my left, I see Ty Lee moving slowly towards us. She looks apologetic. I give her a small nod, hoping to get my message across with an impossibly limited medium. This isn't her fault, and I don't want to see her fried for taking a hopeless stand.

To my right, Mai, inscrutable as ever. Well, at least she-

Waitaminute.

Oh. Oh ho. Oh ho ho.

_Somebody's got a pla-an, somebody's got a pla-an._

I've started smiling. I can't help it. I hope no one notices it. It's not a very nice smile.

The Guardian.

Why is he looking at me like that? Why is he _smiling_? Why is it so _creepy_?

"Mai,"

What? Why is he-

Oh no. Oh no.

"Mai, good thing I got a chance to talk to you." He's smirking. You can hear it seeping into his voice. "Just wanted to say that I kept my side of our bargain."

You _bastard_.

Azula must be looking at me. "What's this about?" she snaps. I ignore her. Well, it's not like my position can get worse.

"Yep. I left Zuko alone, just like you asked me to. I've made sure he's safe. Saw him earlier this morning, actually. But don't worry about keeping up your end, turns out that's not necessary. Funny how things turn out, huh?"

You _dick_.

The Assassin.

Azula's _fuming_. This is even better than I had hoped for.

"_This_ is it? _This_ is what all your secrecy and lies have been about?" She's literally shaking now, and her flame is flickering. "My _worthless, idiotic, traitor of a brother_?" She spat at Mai. "_Pathetic."_

Mai just _twitched_.

"I expected more from you, Mai. Although in retrospect I really don't know why. I should have suspected that you would go to all this trouble for something so _trivial_. You never could let go of something worthless." Azula, for all her attempts at sneering, was obviously seriously thrown by this.

Mai's response was simple. Her left arm flicked. There was a flash of steel. A dash of blood.

"_Now, Toph_!"

The Guardian.

Azula ran an astonished hand across her cheek, where I had managed to slice open a long, thin gash.

_Damn,_ that felt good. Sure, I hadn't managed to stab her in the head like I wanted, but that was because she dodged. But she hadn't dodged enough. Shouldn't have been keeping hold of the King, Azula.

Ha ha.

My self satisfaction is short lived, as she roughly shoves the Earth King aside, and leaps down the steps towards me.

Well, bring it on.

"_Now, Toph_!"

The Assassin.

I draw my short sword from my side and sprint forwards, fixed on the princess. I wasn't entirely sure what exactly I had wanted Toph to do- it's not like we planned this out beforehand, but I figured that she should be put on guard.

I'm running as fast as I can but I can see Azula bat away a set of darts with a tongue of flame and begin to tun back towards the King and why the hell did I yell before I charged that was just stupid and I'm never going to get there in time-

The ground bucks beneath my feet, flinging me forward on a wave of stone. I slam into the throne, my sword biting into the back, so close to Azula's face that she could have seen her reflection in the metal.

I didn't give her the chance, swinging a backhand at her head that knocked her backwards, where Mai was waiting to engage her again.

Okay, breathing space. I tugged at my sword. Stuck. Crap.

I turned to the King.

"Got a sword?"

After a second, his attention jerked from the fairly one sided battle before us, and looked at me.

"What?"

I suddenly saw, actually built into the throne, a rack of curved Earth Kingdom swords. That'll do.

I grabbed one, drawing it and discarding the sheath as I did so.

"Thanks. I'd suggest you stay behind me, unless you're _really _good with these swords."

The way he stepped backwards was answer enough.

The Guardian.

All things considered, I was doing pretty well. That is to say, after thirty seconds as the object of undivided attention for a psychotic Azula and I wasn't actually dead yet. I may no longer have eyebrows, but I'm not dead yet.

Azula was silent. Her face was a stone. It looked for all the world like one of the statues lining the walls had come to life. And was attacking me with fire, of course.

The only thing that I had that could possibly hurt her were my knives. The darts she could burn in mid air, and the metal tips would fly wide once the flights were cinders, but even she couldn't sublime three inches of steel. At least not from this range.

Don't even _think _about taking her on hand to hand. Just keep evading and avoiding, fling metal at her to slow her down, and _hope_.

Specifically, hope that Ty Lee will wade in on my side some time soon.

Hell, she could even wade in on the Sweeper's side. He's

The Assassin

running down the steps, new weapon in hand, I positioned myself so I could get a good strike on Azula. She seemed busy with Mai, leaving her back totally exposed. Perfect.

I raised the unfamiliar weapon, and brought it down upon her shoulder. That would wound her enough that I could probably finish her off.

I fucked up. I had never used an Earth Kingdom sword before, and I wasn't used to how they were weighted. My strike was awkward, and Azula almost casually twisted out of the way, leaving me directly in the path of one of Mai's knives.

The Guardian.

Ooh. Ouch.

The Sweeper had been sneaking up on Azula, but as he attacked she had moved aside, just at the moment that I threw a knife. It hit him in the shoulder.

...He'll be alright. A shoulder wound won't kill him, right? He'll be fine.

But this is no good. We need to coordinate. I'll tell him to fall back, and I will too, so I'll actually be in a position to give him support, as opposed to accidentally knifing him in the shoulder.

"_Enough!_"

Who was that?

The ground fluctuated. The stone floor grabbed me by my ankles, and pillars of stone flew upwards, grabbing my wrists, crushing the delicate instruments in my sleeves.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.

I glanced around. Ty Lee and Azula were in similar predicaments.

Oh _fuck_.

The Assassin.

I'd forgotten about Toph.

Nice.

Right on cue, several guards arrived in the throne room, looking severe. The two firebenders that had been outside the Fancy Doors were among them, their hands bound. Well, it's all looking pretty nicely wrapped up.

"_What_ is going on? Who _are_ you people?"

Ah. The Earth King. I'd forgotten about him.

I turned, with a slight smile.

"If you don't mind, your Highness, there's someone in Lower Ba Sing Se who can explain much better than me. Maybe you've heard of the Avatar?"

His eyes lit up. "The Avatar is here? In Old Ba Sing Se?"

I nodded. "I'm sure he'd be honoured to meet you."

One of the Palace Guard cleared his throat. "Your Highness? If you may, what should we do with these three?" he gestured towards the princess.

The Earth King scowled. "Take them to a holding cell. This one," he pointed to Azula, "claimed to be the Princess of the Fire Nation, but then _attacked_ me!" Why, exactly, that came as a surprise to him is anyone's guess.

The guard nodded, and began to lead the three away. My good humour died then, for one reason.

I looked at Ty Lee.

She was hurt, I could see that. I should talk to her. Now. Try and sort this out.

No, not yet. It's too complicated right now. If I said I wanted to talk to her, and she shouldn't be locked up with the others, I'd have to explain why, and then I'd have to explain why I knew her, and the reasons behind _that_ would begin to make my position look a lot less trustworthy.

In the morning. I'll sort everything out in the morning.

Right now, I have to make sure Katara's okay.

–

"Sokka!"

We were all gathered in the splendour that was Old Ba Sing Se. The Earth King was being introduced to Aang by Toph, General Iroh and Zuko were talking some way off, and liberally strewn about the place were about forty of the Dai Li. None of them looked well.

But they weren't why I was here.

"Katara, you're alright."

She smiled. "Of course I am." Suddenly, she noticed the knife. I had tried to remove it, but that had just exacerbated the bleeding. "You're wounded!"

I shrugged with the shoulder that didn't have a knife sticking out of it. "I've had worse."

She simply rolled her eyes at that, and told be to lie down. When I asked where, she got one of the Palace Guard to raise a crude slab of a bed, which I reclined on.

Aah. It's good to get the weight off your feet now and then.

I winced when Katara removed the blade, but almost immediately it was replaced by a muted, cooling sensation, as she applied her water to the wound. I closed my eyes, and let some of the conversation with the Earth King drift over.

"_...they _what_? Captain, is this true?"_

"_...fraid so, sir..."_

"_Why did you not _do _anything about it? Why did no one tell me?"_

"_...or Majesty, no one c... verrule Long Feng...sumed you knew..."_

"_Assumed I-? Well, Captain, as of now, I _order_ you to arrest every Dai Li agent in the city. Confiscate all their records. I am dissolving the institution. With your permission, of course, Avatar."_

"_...Why do you need _my_ permission?"_

"_Well, you _did_ set up the organisation. In a previous life, of course."_

"_What? Really?"_

"_...Majesty? Do you beli... se, sire?"_

"_No, Captain. It may not be wise, and it may not be politically advisable, but I intend to find out just what has been happening in my _damn_ city."_

Well. That sounds all good.

Suddenly very tired. But there's so much to do.

Deal with it in the morning...

But the sun's already...

–

The Guardian.

We were unceremoniously tossed into a cell, arms still bound, and as soon as we landed, the guard fused our feet to to floor. For that, I was sort of grateful, since it meant Azula couldn't instantly kill me.

After about half an hour, however, I got terrible pins and needles.

Everything is shot to hell. Sort of.

I entertained the idea that I could cut some sort of deal. I had no idea what I could do, but I was sure there would be something. If I could get Ty Lee freed, as well as myself, then I could work with something.

I couldn't expect any help from the Sweeper, though. It hadn't escaped my notice that he just stood by and let the guards drag her away.

She had noticed too. It wasn't hard to tell.

Shaking my head, I turned to see Azula glaring at me.

Ha. Go on, just _try_ to intimidate me. I'm not scared of you, not here, not now. There isn't a damn thing you can take away from me any more. So keep glaring.

Time dragged on, with nothing changing until suddenly there were the sounds of footsteps outside, and the small window was abruptly filled with the smug face of Long Feng.

"Ah, princess," he gloated. "It is _such_ a shame to see you such... reduced circumstances. But really, what did you expect? I am a practical man, princess, and it is true that when your agents (whose existence, I assure you, I had been aware of for some time, and as of now every last one has been rounded up, just in case, you were in any doubt) approached me, I was in something of a bind.

"But now? Now I have secured the safety of Ba Sing Se for years to come. The Fire Lord won't _dare_ to-"

"_Kill him_."

"What? -What are you doing?! No!"

The sounds of a brief struggle echoed from outside, followed by two thuds. Suddenly, another face appeared in the window, wearing the uniform of the Dai Li.

"Your Highness." He looked somewhat uncomfortable. "May I give you some bad news?"

Azula glared. "Go ahead."

"It seems that many of my associates have lost their faith. Many of the Dai Li are no longer convinced that you can triumph, especially since now the Avatar has arrived in the city. I, and my like minded comrades number less than a hundred. But we are at your command."

Azula was silent for a few minutes.

"Get me out of the city, and come with me. I have plans for you. And leave the body in the cell."

"Certainly, your Highness."

There was a rattling of keys, and a shifting of stone, and the door swung open, revealing our... rescuer? With a motion, he loosed Azula's bonds, and did the same for Ty Lee.

"Stop."

Damn. Just as I was about to stretch, too.

"Leave those on her. But take her with us."

Coward. She wouldn't even _look_ at me.

–

**Whoo.**

**M'kay, I have a little problem. A couple of things in this chapter aren't explained. I tried to put the reasons in, but it just made Sokka and Mai sound omniscient and boring. None of the points are central to the plot (well, most of them aren't), but I'm not ruling out finding a spot to put them in later. So I won't spell them out here, but if there's anything you felt you didn't get, ask me in your review, and I'll explain the best I can.**

**Just don't ask me how Azula got control of the Dai Li so quickly. I have no idea how she did that in _canon_. I mean, all we see are some speeches. Did she give out sweeties, like some primary school teacher?**

**That must be it. Haribo fuelled the rebellion.**

**And I'm sorry for the chapter title.**

**And this monster AN.  
**


	26. A Series of Meetings

**Chapter Twenty-Six: A Series of Meetings.**

–

The Assassin.

I was woken up by an incessant prodding in my side. I rolled over, and was surprised to see Aang, looking every bit a tired as I felt. I sat up, and a blanket I had not fallen to sleep with rolled off my shoulders and pooled on my lap. Glancing around told me that I was still in Old Ba Sing Se.

"Well, you fell asleep, and no one could figure out how to move you without waking you up," Aang offered by way of explanation.

"What time is it?" I yawned.

"About mid afternoon. The Earth King wants to speak to us about something, otherwise I'd still be asleep," he admitted.

"Yay." I swung off my makeshift bed, discovering that while I remained fully clothed, someone had thoughtfully removed my sword, knives and shoes. I picked them all up, and rearranged the blanket so it was draped around my shoulders.

"Lead on, I guess."

–

Aang and I made our way to the entrance to the throne room, where Toph, Katara, Zuko and General Iroh were waiting. I nodded warily at the General, and settled down to wait.

After a few minutes, a head poked around one of the doors, and spoke.

"The Earth King will see you now."

we all traipsed through, into the middle of what looked like a blazing, if rather one sided, row.

"_Gone_? What do you _mean_, 'gone'?" The Earth King could shout much more loudly than was immediately apparent.

The guard tried to keep his cool. "Exactly that, your Highness. Almost all their records, their men, everything. It's vanished."

The Earth King slumped. "Next you're going to tell me the _Avatar _has gone. Why not? Everything else has."

Aang took exception to this, and coughed. "Your Highness?"

The Earth King looked up. "Oh, you're still here. That's something." he drew his hands over his face. "I apologise. That was rude of me."

General Iroh spoke up. "If I may, your Highness, is there something we can help you with?"

The King shook his head. "I don't think so, not unless you can turn back time." Without waiting for us to unravel that ominous statement, he continued, and gave us what was quite possibly the worst news he could have at that moment. "Princess Azula has escaped."

Staring glumly at the tableau of shock before him, he continued. "And wait, it gets better. The Dai Li have vanished. Every last one. Long Feng has been found murdered and thrown into Azula's cell, and what's more it was an earthbender that did it- there are still shards of rock embedded in his neck. All their records have vanished, their headquarters in the palace is completely empty.

"All in all, it's not looking too good right now."

Understatement of the _year_.

Interrupting the silence, General Iroh spoke again. "Is it possible that they might have another base of operations within the city?"

The guard looked thoughtful. "If there is, I have never heard of it. But I suppose it is possible."

The Earth King sat up, and his eyes flashed. "Then the first thing we must do is ensure that they have not left the city. There are over five thousand Dai Li agents. They won't be easy to hide." He turned to the guard. "Send word to General Sung- he must be put on the lookout for them." He turned to us, with renewed purpose. "I believe that it's time we met with the Council of Five."

About time.

"This way, Avatar."

Oh. Damn.

–

"Don't see why you want to be in the meeting anyway," Toph said, from her cushion on the floor. I grit my teeth, and bit back the response I knew would be less than polite.

We were all (with the exception of Aang, of course) back at our house, waiting around. Zuko, of course, still looked as uncomfortable as ever, and I was sure he was wondering exactly what he was doing here.

I have plans for him. They hinge on General Iroh playing ball, of course, but then so do all my plans at this stage.

"I want to know what's going on in there," I said, "because in there is where they're deciding what exactly is going to happen next. It's going to be important, and they-"

Toph frowned. "They what?"

I sighed. "Nothing."

Now everyone was giving me looks. "It's not nothing. What were you going to say?" Even Zuko and General Iroh were looking sidelong.

"Okay, fine. They're not going to tell Aang what to do. They're going to _ask_ him."

Katara raised an eyebrow. "And that's a problem... because?"

"Don't you get it? They're going to act as if Aang has the same level of expertise as they do. For all his talents, the guy is _not_ tactically minded, and they're going to be asking him to make suggestions that will change the whole course of this war. It's going to be a disaster." I stood, seized by a sudden burst of energy, and walked over to the window.

"Sokka is right." Help came from an unlikely corner- General Iroh. I turned around.

"They are asking too much of the Avatar. It has been so long since there has _been_ an Avatar that they have forgotten that he is still human. It is unfair of them to assume that he is an expert in matters of war, yet that is undoubtedly what they will do."

Nice. Very nice. He's twisted all the blame onto the Council, so Katara and Toph will more readily agree with my point. Cunning. Maybe he's on our side after all.

Or maybe this is a ploy so that _he_ can get close to the council, or at least into the Avatar's good graces. I have no idea what he wants out of all this, so the only safe thing to do is assume that he's got an ulterior motive, for now at least.

Katara sighed. "I suppose you're right."

Damn right I'm right.

–

It was late when Aang got back. Everyone was waiting up for him- General Iroh had brewed some tea for us, which had proved invaluable. Although the level of enthusiasm he seemed to have for the beverage bordered on the creepy.

Aang barged in, looking tired and irritated. His glower swept the room, and Katara leapt up, proffering a cup of tea. He took it, and smiled gratefully.

"Have fun?" Okay. So I'm a little mean.

He shook his head as if to clear it, looking at the ground. "It was horrible. They were nodding and bowing and all very polite and please, _please_, Avatar, will this help? It this the right thing to do? What do _you_ think, Avatar? And I can't just say 'I don't know, you do what you think is best', 'cause you can just see it in their eyes, they're a group of terrible old men but they're all looking at _me_ and they want me to _do something _but I don't know _what_."

I looked at Katara. Go on. _I_ sure as hell aren't going to deal with this. But you can, and you should, otherwise he'll just flip out and break something.

Getting the hint, she stepped forward. "Aang..."

He exhaled. "I know. I should calm down. I'm okay, really. I think... I just needed to say that." He smiled, almost nervously.

Well, it's good to see that he's calmer now. But we've got to keep our focus. Aang brought up a good point, and now is the best time to talk it out, try and decide what to do.

Iroh sees it too, I can tell. He's about to say something, and Aang won't want to hear it.

Can't have that. We want Aang to have good relations with his future firebending master (if all goes according to the vague plan I've got in my head), and we don't want them to get off to a rocky start if we can avoid it.

Luckily, the resident bastard, i.e. me, is here to broach all unwelcome topics. Well, it's a job.

"Aang," I say, just as Iroh opens his mouth. He abruptly closes it. "We need to figure out what to do about that, and soon."

Instead of what I expected- more emotional displays- Aang simply gave me a cool look.

"I'll think of something. Now I think it's time to sleep. I know I need it."

–

The sun seeped weakly through the window, and I struggled out of bed.

Aang was up, in the main room. He looked up as I walked in.

"Sokka. I was hoping I'd catch you."

"What've I done?"

He chuckled a little. Well, it's a start, of sorts.

"Nothing. I just wanted to let you know what I've decided about the Council."

"Oh?"

He nodded.

"Sokka, I want you to be my official liaison with the Earth Kingdom military. I haven't got the head for this stuff, but ...well... you kind of _do_."

Well. That's... extraordinarily good. Unexpected, but good. I can coordinate the Avatar Group with the plans of the Council, and with a little care, I can influence their plans to take into account mine. Yes, this will be handy indeed.

But there's one thing I have to know.

"Why?" He knows exactly what I'll do with this power. He knows _exactly_.

"Because, Sokka, we're always going to disagree, but I think- I _know_ you're a good person, and I want to be able to trust you."

Ah. So this is a test. "I see. I'll... try my best." There's not any more I can say, really.

Jury's still out on 'good person' though.

–

General How scowled, and peered at the map in front of him.

I wasn't proving too popular with the Council of Five. It might have had something to do with the fact that I was trying to get them to see victory in bigger terms than just the survival of the Earth Kingdom.

They had been polite enough at first, and Aang had gladly taken a back seat, sitting back looking regally bored, while I had begun to talk. But I had been annoyed, if not totally surprised, to discover that the Council wasn't thinking beyond keeping the Fire Nation at arm's length. It seemed that a hundred years of war had eroded any notion of fighting to win.

As of now, I was attempting to press upon the importance of securing a backup base, should Ba Sing Se fall. They agreed in theory, but hadn't been able to come up with anywhere suitable.

Suddenly, General How jabbed a finger onto the map.

"How about here?"

I peered over to where he was indicating.

"The Northern Air Temple? It's an idea, I guess. Out of the way, hard to get to. Aang?"

Aang frowned, and shook his head. "The Fire Nation are already there. We stopped there on our way to the North Pole, and found a group of refugees living there. They only stayed free as long as their … leader, I guess, invented weapons for the Fire Nation. He was the one who made those tanks, among other things. When I found out about this, I persuaded him to fight. We lost."

"Oh. Are they still there?"

Aang shrugged. "I guess. Katara and I had to hide when the Fire Nation broke through, and escaped as they were setting up a garrison."

How blinked. "We have to take it. If this is the source of the Fire Nation's technology, we cannot afford for it to be in their hands any longer." He moved his hands, and the map shifted, the earth twisting until it was a three dimensional model of the Northern Air Temple and surrounding countryside.

"Avatar, what would you say is the best route into the temple?"

"Sky bison."

"I see. And how many people can your sky bison carry?"

"Over long distances, about seven people with no trouble. Shorter, a few more, but the saddle only fits about ten or so."

How stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Hmm."

–

It took a week of long meetings, and several loud discussions, but we finally hammered out a plan. The bulk of the Earth Kingdom forces would be used to break the siege, and would turn their attention West, leaving the city to guard the South pass for now. This had given me free reign to do essentially whatever I wanted with regards to the Group. I think I did pretty well, all things considered.

There was one part of the plan, however, that Aang didn't like. I could tell he didn't like it, because he'd scowl every time it was mentioned, and I wasn't surprised. He hadn't said anything so far, though, and I hoped he'd let it pass. If he didn't... well, I'd have to argue my case the best I could.

–

I coughed, trying to get everyone's attention.

We had been allowed to use the meeting room, normally reserved for the Council, to outlay my plans for everyone. They had set up the map for my use, and left us in peace.

Okay. Here goes.

"Alright guys, here's the plan so far. We've got two main goals right now: within the city, we've got to locate the Dai Li. They're a dangerous force, and we need to know if they've left the city. Secondly, we need to prepare for Sozin's Comet."

Hey, this public speaking thing's easier than it looks.

"If we're going to manage this, we're going to have to split up. Toph, can I rely on you to assist in the search for the Dai Li?"

"Sure. What can I do, though?"

I shifted, feeling I should really be pulling out a scroll or something at this point. "The Dai Li are all trained in a particular style of earthbending that is distinct from the main forms. Someone with your talents should be able to locate them more easily than anyone else here." When she nodded, I continued. "You'll be working with General Xiaohong. General Iroh, I was hoping that we could use your tea shop as a relay point for messages."

The General nodded. "Of course. If there is anything you need, just ask." Beside him, Zuko stirred but didn't say anything.

"Thank you, General. I'm afraid that your role, and your too Zuko, are going to be kind of limited for now. We don't want your positions to be too public, not until the Comet arrives." The General nodded.

"Alright, so that's sorted out. General Sung, on the wall, will keep you posted via the Jasmine Dragon. Keep as low a profile as you can- we have no idea where the Dai Li are, or how many spies they have, so be careful." Toph nodded.

"Okay, while they're doing that, Katara, you and Aang need to head to the North Pole. We need them to send warriors to help clear the lakes with Dad, but before that our priority is to free the Northern Air Temple." Katara looked up at that. "General Sung is sending the Terra Team to assist, but if you and Aang can fly some waterbenders in, it'll really give you the edge. I understand it's quite snowy up there at this time of year."

Everyone was nodding, but Toph looked thoughtful.

"And what'll you be doing while everyone is running around?"

I glanced out of the window. The sun was almost setting. Alright, time to do this.

"I am going to leave. Now, more or less." I didn't give that time to settle. "I am going to stow away on a Fire Navy ship, and head for the capital. There are things that I need to do there."

There was a pause.

"Oh."

I clapped my hands. "So, everyone clear? Good. Well, you should all get some sleep, we've got a lot of work to do tomorrow."

Katara waved her hands around. "Whoa, whoa, slow down. You're going to the _Fire Nation_? Are you _mad_? What are you going to _do_?"

Kill people. About twenty. "I'm going to slow up the Fire Nation at the source. Sabotage, misinformation," murder, "it's what I'm good at, and it's going to be necessary."

"Aang, please don't tell me you're letting him do this."

Aang shrugged. "He made a good argument for it. It'll make things easier at our end, that's for sure." He doesn't sound like he believes a word he's saying. Doesn't matter. The important thing is that he's saying it.

–

I've been given an ostrich-horse. I'm back in my Earth Kingdom Peasant disguise, even though it does smell a little swampy. My other clothes are in a saddlebag, along with all my Fire Nation money and most of my weapons.

There's a noise behind me, and the door swings open. It's Katara.

"Hey."

I nod. "Hey."

She looks up.

"When will you be back?"

"About midsummer. Look, don't _worry_. I'll be fine. You just take care of yourself."

As I tightened the straps on the saddle, I felt myself get pulled into a hug, and turned to meet it.

"Take care."

"You too."

**--**

**Blurg. On holiday. Internet connection slow to the max. Will be back home soon-ish.  
**


	27. Man of Means

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Man of Means.**

–

The Assassin.

I left under cover of darkness, as convention demanded. As arranged, the earthbenders had opened a small passage through the walls for me, due west. I emerged several miles north of the besieging forces, and began to ride.

I had a week. After that, the Earth Kingdom armies would leave Ba Sing Se and follow me, causing much ruckus and rushing about. Better for me to slip through before then, while the Fire Nation are still complacent in their superiority.

Still, that doesn't mean I can take it too easy. The plan was that I would travel by night whenever I could, and avoid towns completely. I had enough supplies to see me through two weeks, so I should be okay. And I had a secret weapon.

Maps. General How had provided me with several charts of the area, which marked out some long disused roads that would let me avoid the main routes. As I remembered, they were indicated by blue lines.

Hmm. Looked like they went through woods a lot. But I'm sure it'll be alright. They wouldn't have given me routes that don't work, would they?

–

Okay.

So it turns out that the blue lines are rivers, and the _dotted _blue lines are the disused road.

Well how was _I_ supposed to know that? I mean, they ran parallel for most of the way.

Anyway, first priority is getting my ostrich-horse out of this rapidly becoming more rapid river. I think there's a waterfall downstream.

Aha. There's a way up on that bank.

Swim, horse! Swim for your life!

–

Fuck.

I'm on the wrong side of the river.

–

I'm okay. I've gone about half as far as I should have, the sun is rising, and it looks like rain, but at least I know where I'm going now. And I am going to sleep.

It's only the first day, too. Portentous? Perhaps.

–

Fortunately, the next two days were less entertaining, and I managed to cover a lot of ground. On the third day, over breakfast, while there was still enough light to read by, I reviewed my list of targets, and tried to remember who they were and why they were on the list.

_Quartermaster-General Anming_. He's a talented man, scrupulous and thorough. That is reason enough to want him gone, but as added incentive, by all accounts his Deputy, and likely successor, is made of much less moral stuff. If we're lucky, he might try to skim stuff from the Army. Every little helps, after all.

_Brigadier General Baojia, of the Engineer Corps_. This is the guy that everyone thinks invented half the Fire Nation's war machines. Turns out it might not be him, so I'll have to do some reconnaissance, to see if he's worth raising all the trouble for.

_Colonel Feng_. He's one of the most talented swordsmen in the Fire Nation military, and commands an entirely non-bender force. By all accounts, he's fierce, charismatic, and pants-wettingly terrifying. So I guess I'll have to poison him.

_Admiral Huang_. Not as notable as most of the others on the list, but he earns his place due to his rank. The Fire Navy has just lost an Admiral, and are just getting used to their new one. If I can get rid of him, possibly in highly suspicious circumstances, then it's likely that the Fire Lord will take a long time investigating before appointing another Admiral. So when and if we come up against the Fire Navy in pitched battle, they'll be fighting under a green and unfamiliar commander. At least, that's the idea.

_General Jiao-Long_. He's a cunning old bastard, and quite ruthless. Getting on in years, but he's still got teeth. Fairly unique among his contemporaries in that he doesn't believe in the frivolous sacrifice of his men, a sentiment shared by the Field Marshall. Which, of course, is why they've both got to die. We can't face an enemy that tries to minimize their own casualties, or that is seen to _care_ about their own men. It would be bad press.

_Commander Piao, of the Royal Guard_. A master firebender, and apparently an utterly humourless man. He's cold, efficient, and totally loyal to Ozai. His deputy, on the other hand, while being no less intelligent, has displayed in the past a predilection to exercise independent thought, and a somewhat... creative... interpretation of orders. He might be the better man to have in the position, at least from our point of view. Worth a shot, anyway. Plus it might rattle people, and people make bad decisions when they're rattled.

_Field Marshall Qiqiang_. Goes without saying. A bear of a man, by all accounts, he's something of a departure from his predecessors. Previous Field Marshalls had always been court gentlemen beforehand, and were always well-read, good musicians, and at least passable at composing poetry, in addition to their political prowess. Qiqiang, by contrast, eschews all that, instead preferring to be very, very good at his job. Needless to say, we can't have that.

the list goes on, but it's grown too dark to see any more.

I had composed the list while in Ba Sing Se, and it had been very carefully contrived. Half of the men were ones who, in addition to being valuable contributors to the Fire Nation war machine, were people whose deaths I could easily make look accidental. The second tier were men who would be considerably more difficult to eliminate without incident, but I was confident in my abilities. The last few were strictly targets of opportunity.

Ozai was conspicuous in his absence from the list. I could do it, probably. Of course, I would end up dead immediately afterwards, but he's still just a man. He eats. He drinks. He bleeds. I could work with any one of those, given the opportunity. Of course, as soon as I start my work he'll triple his personal security, so it would be a toss up between getting him and getting everyone else.

But that's not the point. He's just a man, it's true. But so few people believe that any more. He's become a symbol of the Fire Nation's invincibility, and that's what Aang has to topple. It'll make great propaganda. So Ozai's off the list, and I get to live a little longer.

Azula... I had written her name down, crossed it out, written it down again, crossed it out again, and finally written it down again and surrounded it with question marks. Suffice to say, I was indecisive. Her dead was better than her alive, and the sooner the better, it was true, but...

She'd probably be expecting me. And that's a fight I can't win.

We'll have to see.

I've still got a long way to go.

–

Another three days, and I had left the woods behind, and was cresting the last hill, staring at the port below. It was bustling. Perfect.

I trotted at a leisurely pace into town, drawing only the most disinterested of looks. This town has been Fire Nation for a long time. Long enough to get soft.

I tied my ostrich-horse up outside a tavern, and made my way inside. The place was moderately busy, but I was able to attract the attention of the bartender, and asked for a room. He nodded genially, and produced the signing-in book. I produced ten gold pieces. He turned the book towards him, scrawled 'Lee', and put the book away, pointing to a narrow staircase with a smile.

Why is it always 'Lee'? I have never met anyone called Lee. I have never heard of anything done by anyone called Lee. Yet everyone assumes that there are a million Lees. _I_ sure haven't seen any of them. Perhaps they have a commune somewhere. A secret city of Lees.

Once I was in my room (mercifully only on the first floor), I changed quickly into my Fire Nation Servant's uniform, which I had had the foresight to carry with me all this way.

And here I thought it was just a keepsake. Much more useful than anything I could have had made from memory.

Anyway, I dressed and loaded my uniform quickly, and discarded my peasant's garb. I wouldn't need it where I was going, and it would just take up space in my bag. That was filled with my supplies, both edible and otherwise.

Thus prepared, I clambered out of the small window, after checking that the coast was clear, and thumped into the alley below. The extra weight that I was carrying meant that the landing jarred and shook my knees, but I didn't want my stuff to get damaged. Knees heal, but cheese doesn't. Besides, I had some substances in there that really don't like to be jiggled, and react... violently if they are.

I had blasting jelly stashed away where I was going, but better to carry some with me, and have too much, than to arrive there without any.

Once I was sure no one had noticed my self-defenestration, I made my way towards the richest looking boat I could find, making no effort to conceal myself, and holding my bag as if it contained fine china as I weaved through the soldiers and sailors.

There was a method to this. Since I was dressed as a servant, I had to find a boat that looked like it had servants in it. And no one attracts suspicion like a skulking servant with a full bag, so I had to bustle and hurry and above all look like I knew where I was going and what I was going to do when I got there.

It worked. There was a boat, which, while bereft of gilt, did have some nice carved dragons on the prow. I didn't know whose it was, something I would have to ascertain quickly, just in case I was stopped. Name dropping the man who pays the bills gets you out of tight spots nine times out of ten.

I bustled up the ramp, part of a knot of similarly-dressed servants, and hoped that no one would notice the slight differences in my uniform. Luckily, the firebenders' helmets seemed to impair their vision as much as I had always suspected, and I made it onto the boat.

Turning left, I headed down into the bowels of the ship, until I came across what I was looking for.

The broom cupboard. Perfect.

–

Hiding is much easier than people think, especially when no one is looking for you. I spent the four days I was at sea sweeping up the same three store rooms, having once more attached bristles to my stick. Only occasionally did anyone else bother me, and when they did they just assumed I was meant to be there.

If you're close enough to what people expect, then they'll fill in the gaps themselves. People are so easy to fool sometimes.

–

I tramped along the long walk up to the main city. I had waited until midnight to start making my way up, just in case. It would be the right balance between darkness and tired eyes of the guards.

_Would_ be. Except the bloody moon is full, and shining like nobody's business. Fuck you, Moon. If I get killed because one of the guards is more alert than any guard has the right to be at two in the morning, it will be _all your fault_.

Well. That was weird.

–

I wasn't spotted. Of course I wasn't. Sure, there were four guards posted at the gates, but it was two in the morning, they weren't paid enough (they're _never_ paid enough), and they were guarding a gate up to which any would-be assailant would have to fight through the entire harbour just to get to.

My point is, do you know how many card games can be played with four people? Lots.

–

The sun was rising, and I was just about ready to collapse when I made it to my base camp.

I had found the place about a year ago, when a mission had gone just a little bit awry and I had found myself chased by what seemed like a whole company of firebenders. Eventually, I had taken to the rooftops in an attempt to shake them, and stumbled across this space.

It was an attic, a large space that I could access from a hole in the roof and nowhere else. No one else could get there by any other way, either, not with those huge wooden trunks over the trapdoor that I had put there. The house that it was part of was owned by a minor noble, somewhat eccentric and practically bedridden with age and infirmity. He only employed a handful of servants, and never in my experience received guests. So I had colonised his attic, like an owl.

I had, of course, taken precautions. The roof space I had rigged with my old favourite, tripwires, and I had fixed it so that anyone who jerked them would also bring down a few slates, to discourage the casual explorer.

All in all, fairly cozy.

I ate some of the bread and cheese I had brought, and rolled my sleeping back out on the floor. Tomorrow night, I would start on my list. But for now, sleep.

–

**Really sorry about the wait. This chapter would have been up days ago, but FFnet decided that Stupid Buggers wouls be an _awesome_ game to play.  
**

**Also, Short Chapter is Short. And Boring.**

**Beware- from here on in, things get a little violent. And, depending on how you read it, a little disturbing. Or boring. Really, really boring. All depends on what you're looking for, really.  
**


	28. Phase One: That Which is Necessary

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Phase One: That Which is Necessary.**

–

The Assassin.

I woke. That's about all I could ascertain without sitting up, and that wasn't an idea I was exactly married to just yet. As long as I didn't open more than one eye more than half way, I could pretend I was still sleeping.

Twenty minutes later, I was sitting up, grudgingly, and checking my supplies, something I would have done yesterday, if I hadn't fallen asleep before I remembered.

It seemed that everything was still in place. The spare knives, the three small kegs of blasting jelly, and the array of poisons. Excellent.

I glanced out the hole that served as my entrance. It looked to be about midday.

Well, time to get started.

–

The next week was spent gathering information. Better to do it now, than to wait until I had started in earnest and people were getting paranoid. Some servant sweeping in the corner is ordinary enough usually, but when important men start dying in mysterious circumstances, people are going to start noticing the little details, like the colour of my eyes, or the fact that no tan could really explain the hue of my skin.

I learned a lot in that week, from just being in the right place in the right time and looking as if I were engrossed in sweeping. I learned where General Jiao-Long lived, and that next week he was due to transfer back to the Earth Kingdom, for some reason. I learned that Field Marshall Qiqiang had ordered that Colonel Feng make his men battle-ready within the month, much to their confusion and annoyance, since they were due leave. I learned, through great dint of effort, that Commander Piao practised at sunrise and sunset every day, and it was speculated that he did so to train himself to fight without the sun's influence; I learned that Admiral Huang was inspecting the southern fleet at the moment, and would not be back for a month, and finally, I had learned that Brigadier General Baojia would be testing a new kind of tank, at midday, two days from now.

All this information swirled, and I forced it down onto paper so I could analyse it properly, one thing at a time.

As I jotted everything down, I noticed a pattern forming.

Yes...

That would work. The timing'll be sort of interesting, and require precision, but I think I can pull it off.

But it means I'll have to start this evening, to allay suspicion.

I've got just the thing.

–

A few hours later, I was sitting on the roof of an opulent house, hardly daring to breathe, as below me a pair of guards made their rounds of the garden. They were extraordinarily thorough, checking behind the bushes, lighting fires around their fists to peer into the corners of the walls. But at no point did they check the roof.

Why should they? After all, it's a good two stories high. No one could get onto it without making a huge racket.

Which is exactly why I climbed up here an hour and a half ago, before the night watch had begun.

My leg's seized up. Maybe I should take my foot out of the gutter.

Ow. Ow. Ow.

Okay, no moving my leg until the guards have gone.

–

I took longer than I would have liked to get in, since I had to take the trouble not to clink. I had about five little glass bottles on my person, along with a selection of powders and roots. The only weapon I had taken was a long knife. However, once inside, I was able to navigate the building unchallenged, and made it to the kitchen.

The thing about cantankerous old bachelors is that they don't tend to have too many servants kicking around. Sure, there were a whole bunch of bodyguards, as befitted someone on the War Council, but he only had one chef, a butler, and a couple of maids. And a food taster.

I knew _exactly_ how to get past that little problem. In fact, I was counting on there being a taster. It would allay suspicions of murder. I had a very specific poison that I was going to slip into his stew.

It's a mushroom. A fungus, one with some quite entertaining properties.

In consistency and (apparently) flavour, it's completely innocuous, but when it's digested, it reacts quite entertainingly with the human body, essentially creating what looks like a particularly serious fever, acting over a couple of weeks before killing the victim- perhaps sooner in this case, since the target is so advanced in years. The victim's lifestyle will be what gets the blame, and the only way the food taster will take the poison is if he actually eats the fungus himself, in which case it _still_ won't look too much like poison.

I dropped the mushroom into the momentarily unattended bowl, and excused myself before anyone came in- I had no desire to be seen now. That would undo everything.

–

I left the same way I had arrived, although I didn't have to wait as long- dropping down makes a lot less noise than scrabbling up.

Once I was in the clear, I breathed easy again, and headed back to base.

It was time to get some rest. One down, but there are still many to go.

–

There's a road, winding and long, spiralling down to an end I can't see.

I have to walk it. The end is _important_.

There's something in the way. It's old and gnarled, hunched and twisted.

It won't let me by.

I have to walk this road.

–

Well. That was odd.

–

Two days later. It's early morning, and I'm at a huge internal courtyard. Here is where the Engineer Corps test their machinery. Currently, the new tank is sitting there.

I've forgotten what the acronym means. 'Tactical Something Something Something', I think.

This version is much bulkier than the old version. It's wedge-shaped at the front, with its nose in the air, and a wedge at the back, dragging its tail along the ground. The wheels have been fitted with a band of linked metal that curls around both of them, like a band of some kind. I have no idea what it's for.

All in all, it looks dangerous. Not something we particularly want to be facing a whole platoon of. That's why I'm here.

I stepped up to the machine, and made my way around to the hatch. There was a guard in the way. I made to step around him.

"What do you think you're doing?"

I brandished my duster. "Cleaning. There's dirt in there. My job says I got to clean dirty stuff. Shift boss says I got to clean this thing now, so's it'll be ready for later, and I got lots more to do 'fore my shift's done."

The guard stared at me. I sniffed. He turned around, and peered into the gloom of the tank.

"Alright. But you'd better do a good job of it."

I stepped around him, and made my way into the gloom. Treading lightly, I made my way to the coal engine, which had mercifully been left open. Glancing behind me, I noted that the guard had turned around before slipping a bag of blasting jelly into the coal. I removed my charcoal-stained gloves, and slipped them into a pocket before turning my attention to the dusting.

I did indeed do a good job of it.

–

The sun is high when the Brigadier General arrives, along with the tank crew.

He looks... enthusiastic. If my information is correct...

"Well, gentlemen, let's not waste time, shall we?" He rubs his hands together eagerly, and signals one of his aides. "Ready to begin note taking? There's a good chap. Now, the first test will be to..."

I stop listening as he delves into technicalities, and only start paying attention when the Brigadier General moves towards the tank.

Perfect. It seems my information was accurate after all. The Brigadier General personally tests his machines. I had hypothesised that he did so to demonstrate their safety. However, I might have to re-evaluate that. Perhaps he just likes this sort of thing.

Whatever. It's not important any more.

The three crewmen and the Brigadier General climbed into the behemoth, while the other men watched from the sidelines.

There was a beat of silence.

The door of the machine swung inwards, and was clamped shut from the inside.

Another silent moment.

With a smash of tension, the ground shook as the blasting jelly ignited. The machine stayed whole, but every orifice was vomiting smoke and fire, as the men around me were thrown into pandemonium, screaming for a firebender, for water, for help.

No one escaped the tank.

I watched.

–

There are two now. Two dull shapes, mere suggestions in the fog.

They want to stop me.

They _must not_ stop me.

They _will not_ stop me.

I draw my sword (when did I have my sword?) I always have my sword.

I will not be stopped. I must walk this road.

–

Another dream.

Huh. Well, at least I'm up.

–

After the Brigadier General, I laid low for a week. No sense doing everything in phase one at once- it would go against everything phase one was about.

But I had waited long enough. And this was effectively my last chance. In a week, Colonel Feng and his men were going to the front lines.

And that was odd, too. Why would a competent Field Marshall send Colonel Feng's men- almost exclusively swordsmen, with only a tiny unit of firebenders- to a siege that would only be broken by the comet? What was he expecting Feng to do? Smite the walls of Ba Sing Se with his sword?

I'll have to investigate that further.

–

It was midday. I was standing unseen in the shadows, watching Colonel Feng drilling with his troops. It was... unnerving.

The man was like a caged moose-lion. Everything about him was tense, from his stance to his severe moustache. Every strike was full of _anger. _For all his fabled skill with his sword, he moved like he'd really rather be waving an axe in one hand and a bunch of severed heads in the other.

'Sword.' That thing looks more like a meat cleaver. It's at least half a foot thick. Single edge, and curved. Definitely one for cracking skulls, that one.

But it was deceptive. He'd be swinging his blade down in a strike that looked powerful enough to split a man in two, but suddenly he'd twist, his off hand leaving the handle, and the blade would flutter away to a different strike entirely, and he would all of a sudden be in a different stance, a different position. And his invisible battle would go on.

His men were sparring, and I couldn't help but notice the way so many of their movements- although with more conventional blades- mirrored his. He's left his mark on these men. Whether that'll remain after today remains to be seen.

The Colonel has stopped. He's heading over to his water skin now.

Perfect.

I leave as he greedily inhales the water.

I don't need to see what will happen once he starts training again, not with that poison in his stomach. Apparently it's made of a mix of potash, banana extract and about twenty other things, most of which are to hide the taste.

I'm long gone before his heart shudders. Before his blade tumbles to the ground.

After all, I have no need to see that.

–

My sword swings, biting deep into the figure's neck. It sticks, blood still futilely pumping from the wound, flowing over my blade. With a jerk, I rip it free, blood splattering through the air.

I will not be stopped.

One turns to face me, and my sword finds his heart. The third turns to run, and my sword is wrenched from my grip.

I still have my sheath. And the end is important.

Minutes later, it's all over. My arm aches, and the wood of my sheath is stained. My breath comes in gasps.

I've never felt so _alive_.

Aha.

Ahahahaha.

–

I'm jerked upright, gasping for air. It takes a moment to feel the sweat prickling on my brow.

I run my hands over my face, trying to get rid of the sights and the screams and the _smells._

Just a dream.

Just another dream.

--

**Sorry for the horrendous delays. I couldn't get on the computer, so I couldn't write this chapter. I spent three days rereading _Watchmen_ and playing _Hitman- Blood Money_ instead. Does it show?**

**I had to fight, literally _fight_ to stop myself from writing "Possibly homosexual? Must investigate further" when Brigadier General Baojia showed up.**

**Anyway, all jokes aside, I'm not sure about this one. I know what I was going for, and I know how I'm going to do it next chapter, just not with this one.**


	29. Phase Two: The Unforgiven

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Phase Two: The Unforgiven.**

–

The Assassin.

It's been two weeks since the death of Colonel Feng. Since then, seven men have died in unfortunate accidents, or have been carried off by sudden illness.

People are starting to get nervous. Checking over their shoulders. The Palace has already gone on alert. Housebreaking has gotten significantly harder.

I think it's time for phase two.

Let's rattle a few cages.

–

An assassination doesn't end with the death of the target. Depending on the circumstances, reactions will always vary, but the effects are always more long-reaching than the fact that the victim no longer goes to work in the morning. Schedules are interrupted, a replacement must be found, and depending on circumstances, that can take weeks, and everyone has to find time to go to a funeral. And this is just if the victim appears to die in his sleep.

If the operation is a little more... overt... things are much more dramatic. Investigations will be made, tying up men and money. Security will be tightened all around. People will start to make decisions based around the potential risk to themselves, as opposed to any usual priorities. The entire ruling class will begin to look inwards, getting more and more paranoid.

This is the essence of phase two. I'm going to abandon the pretence of accident and coincidence, keeping everyone's eyes glancing over their shoulder, making sure they're much more interested in what's going on in their capital city than what's happening over the sea. With a little luck, they'll lock down the capital, a phenomenal waste of time and resources. At which point, I'll move on to phase three . After that, I'll just wander on back to Ba Sing Se, leaving utter chaos behind me.

Let's get to it.

–

I squat in the warehouse, trying to figure out how far away the ship was by peering through a grimy window.

The distance is important. If it's too far to swim, then I'm going to have to kill one of the firebenders on duty and sneak onto one of the boats heading out to it. I don't want to do that. It may be phase two, but this is the _first_ half of phase two, not phase two part two.

It occurs to me that maybe I should have invested in four phases. Oh well.

Phase two is short anyway. Well, phase two part one is, anyway. But distinct from phase two part two, but less distinct than phase three. Although it's more similar to phase one than it is to phase three. Maybe I should have divided them as phase one, parts A, B, and C, and then phase two. But- okay, off topic.

The point of all this is that I don't want to leave any alternative explanation for the sudden death of my target. I don't want anyone spotting an intruder, or noticing a suspicious corpse at the docks bereft of uniform.

Optimally, tomorrow morning will see one dead Admiral, in his quarters, with the murder weapon at the scene, with no apparent foreign involvement. And no witnesses.

But if it all goes wrong, and I'm seen, well, there's more than one way to ensure there are no witnesses.

Of course, that would mean going straight to phase two part two, which I don't want to do.

You know what? I think I can swim it. It doesn't look that far.

–

Why in the name of _fuck_ did I think I could swim this?

It's dark, it's _very, very cold_, I can't see where I'm going, every few minutes I have to stop and check to see how far I've drifted off course, and the only reason I can still feel anything in my legs is because I'm still moving.

But I think the boat looks a little bigger now. And that can only be a good thing.

–

Whoa. That's a big boat.

Kind of imposing.

Now, where's the anchor chain?

Oh. There.

I guess I have to climb that, don't I?

Unless I want to go back. Swimming back, all that way, while I'm already cold and damp...

Okay, let's climb me some chain.

–

It took ten minutes I would really rather forget, but I made it up onto deck. Once I made it, I wisely invested five solid minutes to flop down in the shadow of the decoration of the prow, and try to breathe as quietly as I could. It was harder than it sounded.

Okay. First step, weapon procurement. All I had were the (soaking) clothes I stood up in, and my lock picks, on a bootlace around my neck. I didn't even have shoes.

And that's entirely the point.

Not that I don't have shoes, you understand. The point is that the Admiral will be killed with equipment procured on-site. I'm fairly sure I don't have to explain why that's a good thing.

Now, what to use...

A sword would be the more obvious weapon, since I'm familiar with their use, and they're the standard weapon of an officer, and so it will be much easier to pin the killing on one particular man.

On the other hand, I know how to use a spear (you just hold one end and prod the other at people. How hard can it be?) and they're easier to get hold of. Plus, as long as whoever is going to look at this is intelligent, they might see the use of a spear as a clumsy attempt to mask the identity of the murderer. With any luck.

Of course, if the investigator _isn't_ intelligent, then they'll put everyone who isn't an officer on the list of possible suspects. And there are a _lot_ of crewmen on this ship. And that's good too.

So, basically, the spear it is. But I'd better not get caught. I don't want to face down a group of guards with an unfamiliar weapon.

–

I made it to the crew quarters with little indecent. The men were sleeping on bunks arranged in long rows, stacked like shelves along one wall, the only privacy being a light curtain drawn in front of them. Near the door was a long rack of spears. I lifted one as gently as I could, and stole away.

Weapon procured. Now en route to target.

I do that sometimes. In the privacy of my head, I pretend I'm keeping someone informed of my movements. It helps keep myself focused.

–

There are guards at his door. Of _course_ there are guards, he's _Admiral_. Why didn't you _remember _that there would be guards, Sokka, why did you choose this moment to be _stupid_?

I have to kill them. There's no other way.

Okay. Fair enough. So _how_, exactly, am I going to kill them? There are two of them, both firebenders, in all likelihood, and all I have is a weapon I only have the vaguest idea of how to use. And a corner that I am pressed hard against, trying not to breathe too much.

I can use that.

It's an old trick, but it's old because it _works_.

I can do one better, too. To my right, there's another corner, too. The corridor bends like an angular snake; I'm at a kink in the construction, formed by irregular room sizes on the officer's floor. And I'm slimmer than the guards are.

Okay. Here goes.

Stepping away from the wall, and taking a diagonal step both towards the other corner and away from the guards, I very deliberately cough.

I don't wait. I rush around the other corner, and flatten myself against it, a step and a half back from the edge, so I can just see the shoulder of anyone about to walk around it.

I don't have to wait long. Suddenly I see the armoured shoulder of a firebender, and I rush forwards and lunge with all my strength.

The three blades catch him in the throat with a gurgle. With a crash, I kick the man in the chest, and he collapses backwards as I run forwards around the next corner, my bare feet slapping on the cold metal.

The other guard runs right into the spear.

A minute later, it's all over, and my hands are red.

They both have (had) knives. I take one. You never know, it might be useful.

The door isn't locked. More importantly, there's a light shining from underneath it.

Was that there before? Was he up, working late?

Or was he woken up by the noise, and is waiting for me?

I step aside, just in case the door is about to be knocked in by a plume of fire. I don't know for sure that the Admiral is a firebender, but it's likely. You don't last long or rise high as a non-bender in the Fire Nation military unless you're _exceptional_, and I'd have probably heard if he was.

There aren't any sounds at all from the other side of the door. That in itself is telling.

Okay. I'm still damp. That might mean I last a few seconds longer in an inferno.

I can't afford to wait his patience out. There could be a patrol any second.

...The helmets. Yes. That's it.

I don't need a full uniform, just a helmet. It'll confuse him for just long enough.

I grab the fallen helmet from the ground at my feet, and put it on.

Ugh. It's so constricting.

Okay. Time to do this.

I open the door, and step inside.

He's a short man, looking oddly out of place in the opulent room. He's in front of his desk, in a firebending stance. But the helmet gives him half a second's pause. Too long for him.

I charge forwards.

–

They're all around me now. No way back, no way forward.

Just the way I like it.

They charge in. Adrenaline rushes, steel flashes.

This is what I _live_ for.

They don't have a chance.

They're not stopping me. That they're even _trying_ is nothing but a joke.

"_Come on, then!_"

–

I didn't try to listen for information on the aftermath of the Admiral's demise. It was too risky, and besides, there wasn't any point, other than reassuring me that everything was working. Whether it had the effect I had intended or not, I wasn't going to take any needless risks to find out.

Some time later- I'd lost count of the days, cooped up in my attic- I got tired of sitting around, with nothing to distract me from the dreams of laughter and death.

It was time for the next stage.

This was going to be difficult.

Commander Piao is a very dangerous man, and he never leaves the Palace grounds. _Ever_.

He's only vulnerable when he trains, sunup and sundown. He apparently doesn't suffer any spectators, and so this is when I'll strike.

The Commander's death (assuming I pull it off, of course) is going to be important for several reasons. Firstly, it removes a competent and lethal master firebender from the equation. Secondly, his corpse will be discovered in the palace at first light, and no one spreads rumours like servants. Thirdly, It'll _really_ freak people out. Not only does the Commander have a formidable reputation, he's inside the most secure building in the entire Fire Nation. They're going to worry about that, and it'll make me look _really_ impressive.

They don't need to know that I once spent two months memorising the layout of that building, in preparation in infiltrate it, and then spent the next three-and-a-bit years living there. After all, image is everything.

–

I got into the palace the classic way- I hid in a barrel.

It was cramped, it was uncomfortable, and there was a terrifying moment when someone put another barrel on top of my one, but that was dealt with soon enough, thankfully.

I was haunted by the smell of oranges, though. I haven't had fresh fruit since I left Ba Sing Se.

I haven't had a proper bath since Ba Sing Se, either. This is much more of a problem when the air around you gets a little used.

After an hour, I pulled the cork that had plugged a knot out, and peered outside.

Clear?

Not clear.

I pushed the cork back in.

–

Clear?

Not clear.

Damnit, it'll be sundown soon.

–

_Finally_.

–

I kept to the shadows. I didn't have my broom- there would have been no room in the barrel- so I was restricted to my short sword and my knives. I had augmented my arsenal with the spare throwing knives I had stashed in my hideaway.

After a few close calls, I finally made it to the indoor dojo. The sounds of roaring flames told me that the Commander was inside.

Dropping to my knees, I peered under the sliding door. His back was to me. Excellent.

In a breath, I opened the door a fraction and slipped inside, immediately colonising the shadows and sliding the door back with my foot.

The Commander hasn't deviated from his kata one _iota_. He's running through complex movements, all in full armour. A layman would never even know it was the Commander- the only indication was the pattern of black stripes on his shoulder pads and the back of his helmet.

The sun is no longer streaming through the windows, having dipped below the lip of the volcano.

The Commander's movements are still utterly standard. _Too_ standard.

He knows I'm here. He hasn't let on that he heard anything, and that means he knows I'm here.

Does he know I know?

Yes.

Shit.

Okay. Next time he turns this way, knife. Right between the eyes.

Or...

No. This is no time to test idle theories.

But even if it doesn't work, it can hardly hurt. Either way, it'll give me an opening.

Fine.

I step out of the shadow, and the world slows as adrenaline pumps through my veins. As I draw a knife, the Commander spins, dropping to one knee and punching forward-

I throw the knife. It connects with his clenched knuckles.

I don't see exactly what happens next. But it looks like my theory was correct.

The fire doesn't blossom forwards as it should. The knife disrupts the flow, the energy ricocheting back through his veins, ripping his arm to shreds.

He staggers, silently staring (as far as I can tell through the helmet) at the bloody stump that used to be his right forearm. I press the attack, another knife slamming into his left biceps as he tries to fight on, and my sword finds his throat.

Ha. Physics, you son of a bitch.

I thought something like that might happen, I ruminated as I made good my mistake, jumping into the moat. Benders always go on about the mystical connection they have with their element, but at least in the case of firebending, all they're doing is releasing energy, and once you've _got_ energy, it's got to _go_ somewhere. Heat and light won't just _stop,_ no matter how you wave your arms. I'm confident that if people just took the time to figure out how bending works, without just saying 'it's a gift of the Spirits' like that _means_ something, then we could find some perfectly rational scientific explanation for it.

That is what I believe, and I live in hope that some day I will be proven right.

–

**That might be the goriest thing I have ever written. I was going to overdo it, with lurid description and all, but then I realised Sokka probably wouldn't be wasting that much time looking at it.**


	30. Phase Three: Before Destruction

**Chapter Thirty: Phase Three: Before Destruction.**

–

The Assassin.

It's been a while since the death of Commander Piao. It's almost time to move on to phase three.

There is a prison, on the edge of the city. It's where they keep anyone dangerous enough to want locked up, but useful enough to keep close at hand. Prisoners of war, the more intelligent revolutionaries (there are some, even with the current success of the Fire Lord), people who know just a _little_ too much for their own good, any soldiers that have been revealed to break the rules, but are too handy to just execute, they're all locked up in there. And I'm planning on letting them out.

It'll be the icing on the chaotic cake. Sure, they'll all be rounded up soon enough, but it'll take time, and men, and a lot of headaches all around. Meanwhile, I'll have skulked on back to Ba Sing Se.

But first, I have an appointment with the Field Marshall.

–

This... is going to be hard.

The Field Marshall is currently holed up in the largest of the three (four, if you count the Royal Guard wing of the Palace, which I don't) barracks in the city. Getting in is going to be insane, especially with all the heightened security at the moment.

The reason I left the Field Marshall to last was because it was going to be a toss up between him or Princess Azula. In the end, I decided that since both of them would definitely know I was coming, I would go with the one where there was at least some uncertainty as to the outcome.

Frankly, if I'd been sure of my choice from the beginning, I would have started phase two (part two) with him. But I can't wait for everything to die down- that would be against the point entirely.

I can do it.

With some planning.

Now, day or night?

In the day, the guards won't be as alert, and it'll be easier to dupe my way in.

No. They'll be wise to that sort of thing by now. It'll take more than an ill-fitting suit of armour and a confident stride to get inside. So night it is.

A rooftop entrance? I can make it from the neighbouring buildings to the wall of the courtyard. I'll disable any guards in my way, tear my way in and out. Short, sharp, and most definitely shocking.

Keep it simple, so there's room to complicate it later.

Now, I managed to pilfer the layouts of all three barracks from the records before phase two part two set in in earnest. It's time for some route planning.

I'd better go get my soft shoes out.

–

I approached from the rooftops, as the sun set. Leaping around was exhilarating, but loud, and I had to quickly abandon it after the first confused head turned skyward, in favour of something quieter. But less fun.

One last leap, and I was on the roof of the building next to the barracks.

Originally, the barracks, as the oldest in the city, was placed with a lot of land between it and the surrounding buildings, to prevent exactly what I am attempting to do. But the architecture tells us that as the city grew to fill the entire lip, the free ground looked more and more attractive, until a bare six feet remained. Fascinating what you can find out by just observing.

Like the fact that as of five minutes ago, there's a guard on patrol that isn't guarding properly.

The other guy was much more alert, checking in shadows and peering over the wall, but he's gone now. This new guy isn't doing anything but walking.

Hello, opportunity.

I didn't want to waste a knife at this distance, so I waited until he passed me, and leapt.

I just made it onto the wall, landing much more heavily than I'd like. The guard span, but too slowly, and my sword flicked.

I checked the alleyway below me, before tossing the body over the side. It would be discovered, but hopefully not until I was well away.

Now. It's time to move.

I slipped through the corridors. I had done this a hundred times in my head, so when I heard footsteps on the floor, I knew where they were coming from, and knew that there were bathrooms to my left, ten paces forward.

So I hid out in the toilets until I heard the measured tread pass me by, and kept moving.

Slick. I was on form tonight.

I had to avoid several more patrols as I neared my destination. Some of them meant I had to backtrack, which was annoying, but although I was prepared to fight, I'd really rather my target not be alerted ahead of time. They tend to be unpredictable if that happens.

–

Half an hour later, I was at the Field Marshall's study.

No guards. Odd.

Huh, I shouldn't complain, I guess.

I opened the door silently.

The Field Marshall was hunched over his desk, his back to me.

Before I could blink, he span around, sword flashing, and I almost fell back through the door, before drawing my own blades.

Long sword in one hand, short in the other. Versatile, manoeuvrable, and flowing. The essence of the sea stance.

"Hmm. I expected you sooner. And taller." His voice is calm, deep.

I don't say anything in return, swinging with my long sword, aiming to disable his right arm.

Fast, faster than I had thought possible for such a big man, he bats my strike aside and lunges, and it's all I can do to make sure the strike hits my shoulder instead of my heart.

Aah. _Fuck_.

The bastard _twisted _his blade.

I drop my short sword involuntarily. I don't seem to be able to move my left arm properly, even after he tugs his sword free, and swings again, this time aiming to take my head.

It's all I can do to block it, tripping backwards. He notes the weakness, and presses forwards, until I'm left with my back against the wall, pushing with all the strength I can in my right arm to keep his sword from my face.

An odd thought drifts into my head.

_Why isn't he firebending?_

I should be keeping focussed on my enemy. He rears back, both hands on his blade, planning on using his greater height to split my skull.

I drop my long sword and kick him in the nuts. As he recovers, I dash aside and snatch my short sword from the floor. My left arm still won't move properly, not unless I _force_ it, and that makes white spots appear in front of my eyes.

The short sword isn't a bad idea in this cramped environment, though.

He whirls, his sword swinging in an overhead arcing motion. I catch his blade close to the hilt, holding it horizontally as high as I can make it. I push as hard as I can, forcing the pommel of his blade almost to his armpit.

Then I twist my blade, releasing his and hacking mine into the side of his neck.

His blade hits my left shoulder, and although the attack lacks any kind of force, it's still enough to send pain lancing up into my head.

I the Field Marshall is much worse off. I wrench my sword free, and prepare to strike again, but his huge hands are at his throat, and he's turning, staggering over to collapse on his desk.

Now why would he...

_The documents_. That's why he didn't firebend. He didn't want his papers damaged, and now he's trying to destroy them.

I step quickly over, grab him by the back of his hair, and pull him backwards, leaving him to die on the floor. It's too late. There's blood seeping into everything. _Damnit_.

I grab the top sheet, in an attempt to salvage the ones below. Only the top half of this one is visible, and the crimson is seeping through, destroying even that.

_On the 3rd of the Ram, the 53rd, 17th, and 4th to be pulled from the front, being bending specialist units. Recommended companies to replace them are the 41st, 23rd, and the 3rd (Yu Yan). Field Commanders should be to... para... not to... un....ary cas... ut... old t...._

Well. That just raises more questions.

Third of the Ram, third of the Ram. That's less than two months from now. What's so important about that date?

I spare the body a cursory glance before darting from the room. Now I had to find out what was going to happen on the third of the Ram.

–

My escape was normal enough.

Right until I made it into the open air, on top of the wall.

A gong was the first indication that things had gone horribly wrong. Emergency torches were lit, somewhere high on top of the barracks, and everything was lit up. Including me.

Shit.

I turned, seeing if there was somewhere I could hide before I was seen. Nothing. Nothing at all.

Shit.

"_There he is!_"

_SHIT_.

Guards seemed to spring out of nowhere, appearing suddenly from the door I had left by. More were pouring into the courtyard, and still more were on the roof of the building. I had only one sensible option.

Taking a firm grip on my stick, I leapt off the building and into the alley.

I misjudged horribly, smashing my injured shoulder into the side of the building and landing with a crumple in the alley. I think I broke a rib or seven.

_No no no, not now._

That doesn't matter now. Just get up, and get out. To hell with phase three, find somewhere to hide, and get out of the Fire Nation at the first opportunity.

I sprint through the street, not looking behind to see if I've escaped my pursuers, barely listening as the night erupts into yells and cries, only interested in getting one foot in front of the other as quickly as possible.

Something grabs my ankles, and I go tumbling to the ground. Again.

_Damnit, get **up**._

This time, however, the ground snatches at my arms, shackling me spread-eagled face down in the gutter.

I can see feet walking towards me. The shoes clatter in a way that's inescapably familiar. I can't place where I've seen them before.

_Dai Li. Oh no._

I look up. It's too dark to see any features at all, now. He's just a shadow, blocking out the moonlight.

He's got my stick.

My stick goes up.

My stick comes down again-

–


	31. Run Out

**Chapter Thirty-One: Run Out.**

–

The Assassin.

I'm in a cart.

I'd like to know more, but every time I start moving, somebody kicks me until I stop. So there's nothing to distract me from the pain in my shoulder or the pain in my ribs or the pain essentially _everywhere_ but the feel of the cart bumping. It's more informative than you might think.

At first, the thumps were small, rapid, and even. This was the cobblestones of the city streets. But after a while, it smoothed out, with only a click every few seconds. Large flagstones, so we had hit a main road. This was borne out by the sudden slope downwards, indicating that we had started to head out of the city.

So... I have no idea where I'm going. I mean, it could be any one of about seventeen places. And I can't make any real plans without that information.

I wanted to sleep so badly I could almost feel my eyes _bleed_, but I was hurting too much to be able too let go and sleep.

Damnit. This _sucks_.

Okay, Sokka, no quitter talk. Time to figure out what to do to get yourself out of this mess.

How do people get out of messes like this?

Overpower the guard?

Um, no. I can barely move. So that's out of the picture, along with most things.

Pretend to need the toilet, overpower the guard, and dive into the undergrowth?

Like I said, I can barely move. Not happening.

Use my feminine wiles?

...Wait, _what_?

That's it. No more thinking for me. I obviously can't cope with it any more. My brain has failed me.

–

The roads got worse. The cart jangled with the constant clattering over stones and mud, and every so often, we'd hit a pothole and my neck would flop insanely. That was pretty much all I would be aware of for about two minutes afterwards, given the state of my head.

I have no idea how long I spent in that cart. We might have stopped a few times. I think I slept at least three times. I got kicked several times too many to count, especially when I had been revitalised by half-remembered sleep and had the audacity to open my eyes and look up from the splinter-covered floor.

After this long, but unspecified, amount of time had passed, I felt a boot prod me in the side. It was probably intended to be a 'start paying attention now, please' prod, not an 'I want you to hurt' prod, but I had bruises there from all the kicking, so it still hurt.

Someone started talking. I tried to listen. Really, I did. I even attempted to sit up.

Roughly, I felt my head grabbed, and I opened my eyes. About three inches from my face, something in the fog was proffering a flask of some kind. I guess they wanted me to drink.

Actually, it didn't seem like I was going to have any choice in the matter. I spluttered as best I could, but in the end it all boiled down to the fact that I hadn't had a drink in what seemed like (and probably, it occurred to me later, was) days.

I was consoled by the fact that this seemed a little impromptu for an execution.

Moments after I had drunk the concoction, the world began to spin even more, and I slumped backwards as darkness claimed me.

–

I woke in a cell. It was dark, the tiny room illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the small window above my head.

I was on my back, lying on a fairly wide shelf attached to the wall.

I was hurting, of course, but what surprised me once I noticed it was how _specific_ the pain was. My ribs and my shoulder, and nowhere much else. The full-body ache had vanished.

I continued my self-inspection, and sat up, propped on my elbows, observing my body as best I could. My ribcage had been bandaged, as had my shoulder, leaving much of my torso a mess of white lines.

It occurred to me that I shouldn't be able to see that. Therefore, someone had taken my shirt.

Ah. It was on the floor over there.

I sat up, as slowly as I could, and swung out, standing on the metal floor. It was cold. That meant they had taken my shoes.

Yup. No shoes. _That_ won't get old fast.

I sluggishly shuffled over to my shirt, and pondered how best to pick it up, since bending over was out of the question.

Hmm.

Gripping it in between my big toe and my... toe-that-isn't-as-big-as-my-big-toe-but-is-nonetheless-bigger-than-my-other-toes... and swung my leg forward, attempting to grab it. Of course, I had forgotten that my legs are in fact considerably longer than my arms.

My next attempt was to flick it behind and over my shoulder, so I could catch it in my right arm.

Needless to say, in my current state, all that did was flick it around behind me somewhere.

But it gave me an idea.

Dragging the shirt with my foot, I made my way over to the door, and turned around. From there, I swung my leg a few times to get the rhythm of it, and hurled my garment with all my strength. It span lazily through the air, and flopped onto my bed. Perfect.

Full of triumph, I made my way back over, and awkwardly half-bent until I could pick it up and put it on.

They had torn my sleeves, right up to the elbow. Now why had they done that?

The revelation brought a more thorough search of my apparel. My trousers had been torn too, up to my calves. Every one of my hidden pockets had been found and ripped, rendered useless. They had even torn my _normal _pockets. Absolutely nothing that I could use remained. The only thing I could use as a weapon were my trousers, and only then if I took them off and used them to throttle someone. And call me picky, but any escape plan that involves me running around in my underwear is going to be nowhere near my first choice.

–

I had measured out the limits of my accommodation- four paces by three paces, not exactly what you'd call spacious- and decided to lie down and get some sleep. My brain was still a bit fuzzy.

Of course, as soon as I was comfortable (as comfortable as I was likely to _get_, anyway), there was a hammering at the door, and a loud voice.

"Alright, get against the wall. Now."

Well, I was already against the wall, wasn't I?

–

The Guardian.

Something was going on immediately to my left.

Let it be known that on this day, the...damnit, why didn't I try keeping those scratches on the wall like you're supposed to?

Whatever. This day, whenever it is, marks the day that _something happened_. Don't know what, exactly, but it was something different.

It's pretty quiet here, as I'm sure I have implied. Not usual that the guards come and get someone as soon as the sun's up. Normally they'd be taken away in the evening, when everyone knew what was going on. After all, it's only polite. So why buck tradition for this guy? He insult someone's mother or something?

Hmm. Maybe I ought to try that. It would be something to do, anyway. Break the monotony of waiting for the bureaucracy to break down.

Well, that was rather morbid of me, wasn't it?

–

The Assassin.

There's this... hissing noise. I can't concentrate properly.

Not that the man at the other end of the table particularly cares, it seems.

He's clean-shaven, an oddity for the Fire Nation. Doesn't even have any sideburns. Even odder. He's round-faced, and looks good-humoured. Tangled and dark hair. I'd have him pegged at about thirty-seven.

"So, what's your name, sir?" he asked, politely.

Well, no real harm in telling him that, is there?

"Sokka."

"Sokka. Hm. 'S a good, 's a good name. Southern?" He waited until the last word to actually look at me. I noticed, oddly, that his eyes were brown, and twinkling at me.

"...Yeah."

He nodded. "Okay, Sokka. So, I'm gonna ask you a few questions, if I may, sir, and-"

I shrugged. "You don't need my permission to _ask_."

He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "No, no, that's true, but I always find it's more polite to ask, and then maybe you'll be more inclined to cooperate. Or maybe I'm wrong. Either way, it doesn't hurt to show a little courtesy, as I'm sure you're aware." This speech was delivered with a kind of bumbling elegance, as he tripped over his words but kept on regardless.

I have yet to determine whether or not this man is simply eccentric or just a moron. Too early to tell, I guess.

I _wish _ they'd stop whatever is making that hissing noise.

The man raised his eyebrow. "Before we get started, you look a little uncomfortable. Is something wrong? I mean, I know this isn't exactly the ideal conditions for a talk, but the boys in the next room are brewing tea, and I always find a cup of tea helps me, sir, when I have to be up this early. Would you like some, when it's ready?"

I grit my teeth. "No." I won't give them the satisfaction. "Thank you."

The man shrugged. "Well, suit yourself." He leant back in his chair. "Now, let's get started, shall we?" Without waiting for a response, he ploughed onwards. "Now, if I'm correct, you are the individual responsible for a really, and I hope you won't take offence or think it in bad taste of me, sir, but I feel I should say it, quite ingenious series of events that have removed over fifteen men that were pretty near vital to the Fire Nation war effort. Not the nicest of jobs, I must imagine, but I suppose someone has to do it." The hissing continued. "Now, I again have to confess here that when your case came up, I _jumped_, I _jumped_, sir,at the chance to be the guy to talk to you, sir. You see, I've always had an interest in the mind of the, you know, the cold-blooded killer. I was always fascinated by stories of these cold men who would, you know, go out into battle and do the most _horrible_ things, because they figured it would be the right thing to do for everyone that was left. So I figured that talking to you, sir, would give me the opportunity to get my head around what makes people think like that."

I shrugged, as much as the manacles would let me. "Like you said, someone's got to do it."

He nodded, eagerly. I'm still sure he is _definitely _a moron.

"I get you, I get you, sir." He paused, and scratched the back of his head. "But... there's something I don't understand." One of a great many things, I'm sure. "You say somebody's gotta do it, and I can respect that, this is a war after all. But... what makes you think that, if you don't mind me being presumptuous? I mean, what made you think that the death of..." he rustled the papers in front of him "... ah, here he is. Quartermaster-General Anming. You poisoned his tea, it says here, and I suppose that's a good a way to do it as any, but if I may that's a terrible thing to do to a cup of tea. Now, what made you think that killing this man would end the war any sooner?"

His demeanour hasn't changed a jot. He's still sitting there, smiling genially.

"He was too good at his job. His assistant was much worse at it."

The man nodded eagerly. "I see, sir, but that's what I don't get, you see. The effects of a new Quartermaster-General are very long-term, you see, and I for one can't really see the path of the whole war changing just because the man in charge of shipments of swords and such is a little tardy, maybe sells a couple of crates on the side."

I shrug. "Every little helps."

"Ah." He leant back, apparently satisfied.

"Lieutenant." A man had arrived with the cup of tea. I had utterly failed to notice the fact that the hissing had stopped.

"Oh, thank you very much." He sipped the tea with obvious enjoyment. "I think that's enough for today, sir. I'm sure we'll have another chance to talk some time soon. After all, it isn't like either of us are going anywhere, just my little joke, I hope you don't take offence."

I shrugged. "I've heard worse."

He smiled at that. "I'm sure you have. Maybe you can tell me a couple some time." The other guard motioned with his hand, and another two guards stepped out of the side room, ready to escort me back to my cell.

"Oh, just one more thing." I glanced back to the man. "I can't help but wonder, are you sure it was _really_ necessary to kill the Quartermaster-General? I mean to say, was it necessary to kill him to ensure peace? I mean, I can see why you'd want to kill the Admiral, or the Generals, and maybe even the engineer, but Anming? Was he going to ship out some super-sharp swords that would have changed the course of the war within months? Is him being efficient really enough to commit murder over?" His head cocked when I didn't answer. "No? Just something to ponder, sir. I do like philosophy."

As I was dragged out of the room, I heard two muffled voices. One belonged to my cross-examiner. The other was a man I didn't recognise the voice of.

"I still say we should take him to the Princess. She captured him, and she'll make him talk."

"Now, you know full well why we can't do that right now. She needs her rest."

What's all that about, then?

–

**I've finally figured it out. I spend hours poring over fight scenes, over character interaction and mental conditions, when it appears all I want to do is write utterly insane crossovers. If you don't know who the guest star of this chapter was, you need to watch better television.**


	32. Run Down

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Run Down. **

–

The Guardian.

Well. Something even _more_ interesting happened. Whoever they came and took away has actually been brought _back_. I know, it's a terrible breach of form. I wonder why they're back. I mean, if they're worth interrogating, then they're usually kept in the interrogation wing. You know, so they're conveniently close at hand.

I suppose I could ask, on the off chance that they know. But it's probably more fun to guess. And after [unspecified amount of time] staring at the seagulls and wondering what they taste like raw, I find it's prudent to take what entertainment I can get.

Perhaps they changed their mind, for whatever reason, and have taken the prisoner back to his or her cell while they figure out what to do with him or her.

Perhaps they gave it their best shot, but the prisoner turned out to be completely unaffected by fire, axe, or poison, and now he or she has been locked up while they decide what to do with him or her.

Perhaps it's some cruel and unusual practical joke the guards are playing. You know, cart the prisoner off, tie them down or whatever, everyone gets ready, and at the last minute some accomplice rushes in and claims that there's been an administrative error, and the poor sap isn't due for a while yet. And there would be much merriment. Bonus points if the guy wets him (or her) self.

You know, I can actually see that happening. Some of the guards have something of a sociopathic sense of humour. And I know my sociopaths.

You know, in spite of its many disadvantages, I think I've adapted well to prison. After so long worrying about everything, it's kind of relaxing to know that everything is completely out of my hands. Uncle (while disappointed in me, for some reason) has assured me that I'll be the first to know, should news reach him regarding his sister, and that's my only link to the outside world. There is absolutely nothing I can do to affect anything any more. I'm feeling rather peaceful.

If only I had something to read. You know, I never did finish that book I found in Ba Sing Se.

Perhaps I shall make up an ending to it, to pass the time. I can remember pretty well how it went, as far as I got.

–

The Assassin.

I'm hungry. I wonder when we get fed.

Well, I guess I can ask someone.

I dropped to my knees, carefully, and peered under my door. There was a conspicuous lack of feet. So no guards. Bother.

Hmm. Who else to ask? The seagulls?

Maybe I have neighbours? Worth a shot, anyway.

The Guardian.

_'I say we boil 'em,' declared the first ogre._

_'Okay,' agreed the others. So they did._

Hmm. Bold, contrary to expectations... I like it.

_'That was delicious,' the first declared, rubbing his distended belly with obvious delight. 'You really outdid yourself there, Li.'_

_'Thanks, Chung. I think the garlic really brought out the flavour.'_

_As the three ogres laughed and joked around their camp fire, one noticed a piece of paper among the discarded possessions of the late travellers._

_'Here, look at this, Chung. You're good with letters, aren't you?' said Wen, handing over the scrap of paper. Chung adjusted his huge glasses and began to read._

_'It says something about an evil dragon, and a vast hoard of treasure,' said Chung. Immediately his compatriots' eyes lit up._

_'Treasure, you say?' asked Li, slowly._

_'And an evil dragon,' clarified Chung._

_'But also treasure.'_

_Chung sighed. 'Yes, also treasure,' he admitted reluctantly. He could see where this was going._

Suddenly, my thoughts were derailed by the sound of someone pounding on my wall, followed in short order by a muffled voice.

"Hey. Hey. _Hey_. You know when we get fed?"

The voice is young, male, and almost inescapably familiar. Or maybe it's just one of those voices you hear everywhere.

I suppose, in the interests of good interpersonal relations, I should answer his question.

"About midday, as long as they remember. Plain rice and water. If you're lucky they'll be in different bowls."

I waited a few moments to see if he was going to respond, then drifted off once again.

_'Look, what good will treasure be if we're all burned to cinders?' Chung asked reasonably, but it seemed his compatriots were not listening to him._

"_Mai_? Is that you?"

I looked up. Something clicked. I knew that voice.

"_Sweeper_?"

"Yeah! It is you? What're... you... doing... oh. Right."

Yeah.

"Yeah."

The Assassin.

Well, this is a bit of a surprise. But doesn't she sound pleased to hear me?

No. Not really. Or at all.

The Guardian.

Well. What a coincidence.

...You know, for about a week straight I wondered what I'd say to him if we ever met again, in this life or the next. Then I got bored and started staring at the patch of tarnish on the ceiling that kind of looks like a face, if you squint and turn your head.

I do remember that there seemed to be a lot of swearing involved, though.

Since I calmed down, though, I tried to gain a sense of perspective, and see things from his point of view. And, with one major exception, I managed it. After all, it wasn't as if he'd owed me anything. Frankly, if Azula had gone down then I'd have ended up owing _him_.

But, as it turned out, he landed me on death row, so I guess it's evened out.

For the record, I still think he's an asshole.

But he's someone to talk to, and possibly annoy. And I do have a couple of questions I might as well ask him.

"So, what did _you_ do to get locked up here?"

There's a pause as he figures out the answer.

"Got caught."

"Well, much as I can't argue with that, it's not very informative."

"Well, I'm sorry."

"No you aren't."

There's a muffled sigh. "Well, if you're going to be difficult about it..."

The Assassin.

Frankly, I didn't want to talk to her, for several reasons. But, she would know things, things worth knowing if I'm going to get out of this place. The problem here is going to be establishing a rapport without actually talking about any shared experiences. So I guess I should play along for now.

"Well, I did kill some guys."

"Oh? Anyone I know?"

I shrugged, before remembering the wall in between us. "Probably not. Just a bunch of generals and stuff. I think it annoyed people a little."

"The Fire Nation does frown on that sort of thing, it's true."

"Yeah." I slipped down the wall, my legs folding underneath me. "So..." damnit, need a topic of conversation. "How are you?"

Hmm. Bad question.

The Guardian.

"Oh, not too bad, considering I'm going to be executed as soon as someone realises that I'm still alive. It's something to wake up for, you know. 'Ooh, I wonder if there's going to be an inspection today', that sort of thing."

"...Oh."

Yeah. You've got nothing to say now, do you? I've alluded to the badgermole in the room.

"...Can I be frank?" he asks.

"Go ahead, I guess."

"About Ba Sing Se... I guess I should say sorry for that, huh?"

I roll my eyes.

"Very good. Now say it with a straight face."

I think I nonplussed him.

"Oh, come _on_, Sweeper. I'm not that credulous. You're not exactly regretful of what you did. You can't say to me that if you had the opportunity, you'd do anything differently. For the most part, you did right by you. I mean, it's not like you owed me anything more than what you actually did."

The Assassin.

Well, that didn't go quite like I'd anticipated. But I suppose she's got a point.

"I suppose you've got a point."

"I know I do."

Something about her little speech doesn't sit right, though. What did she mean by 'for the most part'?

–

The next morning, I was dragged back to the interrogation room. That guy was there again, but this time he had two cups set out, with a teapot on the side. I was sat down, and my wrist irons were attached to the ring set into the table, with just enough give to allow my hands to reach my face. My guards then left the room.

"Good morning, Sokka," he said, pleasantly. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

"No. Thank you."

"Oh?" He poured himself a cup, and sipped. "Are you sure? I mean, it's good stuff, sir, got a little kick to wake you up in the morning."

"No, thank you. You could have poisoned the cup. You could have ingested an antidote before I arrived. You could have spiked my water yesterday with a compound that only reacts with something you put it the tea. You could have done any number of things."

The man looked affronted and offended. "Now, what makes you think I would want to poison you? I thought we got off to a good start yesterday, in my view anyway."

I shrugged. "Doesn't have to be poison. Hallucinogenics, perhaps. Maybe you want to drug me. I don't know."

Now he seems honestly confused. "And why would we want to do any of those things to you, sir? If you don't mind me saying, I'm not sure I follow your train of thought."

"I'm just paranoid, okay? Humour me."

"Well, alright." He seemed ill at ease. "It just seems a little impolite, me here with my tea and an egg-" here he produced an egg and a small spoon from his pocket "- I hope you don't mind, but I didn't have time for breakfast and I can't think too straight on an empty stomach- and you just sitting there."

"It honestly doesn't bother me."

"Well, if you insist," he replied, and cracked the top of the egg and began to eat. It had been hard-boiled.

Once he had finished his breakfast, he placed his spoon and shell on a napkin to his left, and leant forwards.

"Well, thank you for your patience, sir. I thought we might begin today with a little game, if you'll humour me."

I felt an eyebrow raise. "What do you mean?"

A guard came in the side door, carrying a flat wooden box, which he placed on the table.

"Do you know how to play Pai Sho?"

–

Twenty minutes later, I had won. It had been an interesting match, though. And harder than I had expected. My interrogator was delighted, though.

"If you don't mind, what was the point of your opening gambit? I don't remember any recognised tactics that begin with such a fragile piece."

"Oh, just something I read about in the history of the game, thought I might try it some time. I love Pai Sho, but never really get a chance to play, sir, so it was quite refreshing."

"Hmm." I leant forwards, over the board. "Tell me, what do you hope to gain from all this? I mean, offering me tea and playing board games isn't exactly textbook interrogation, is it?"

He stared at me. "Well, sir, what would you like me to do? Kick you in the teeth, perhaps? I'm sure I could rustle up some thumbscrews from somewhere?"

"It would be familiar, at least. This doesn't seem to be going anywhere." And it's a little creepy.

He shrugged. "Well, what would I ask you? If you don't mind me saying, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of _mystery _about all this. It's a war, and you, right or wrong, killed people that you thought would be _vital_ in winning the war for the Fire Nation, am I right? So what would we ask you? What the Earth Kingdom are planning to do? If you'll allow a moment of vanity, it seems obvious enough, and I doubt very much that they've given the exact dates to you."

Damnit. That speech was disconcerting enough without it being delivered so _casually_.

"Well... what _are_ you trying to do, then?"

He smiled. "I just want to talk. You know, you're interesting, like I said yesterday, sir. I mean, you're (meaning no offence, of course) twitching at the thought of a cup of tea, and you said yourself you'd rather be tortured for information we don't need to know than play a board game. I just think there's a lot to be learned here." He leant backwards. "So, Sokka, if you're more comfortable with an interrogation, well, I guess I'll have to do my best to oblige. I'm afraid I'll have to pass on torturing you, though. I get squeamish, you see. It's the blood and the teeth and... ugh." He waved a hand, and my two guards returned. "So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. I'll work on a list of questions, and we can go through them, sir. Thank you for your time."

–

I have to get out of here. That man is going to drive me insane.

So, let's get to gathering information.

The Guardian.

There a tapping, a gentle rapping, tapping on my chamber...wall.

"Yeah."

"Got any escape plans?"

Oh great. Time to get annoyed.

"No."

"Oh." He was silent for a few moments, but I knew it couldn't last. "Do you get visitors?"

Oh boy, I can see where this is going.

"Ty Lee used to come visit every week."

"…Used to?"

"Until I told the guards to stop letting her in."

"..._Why_?"

I grit my teeth.

"Because that way she's _safe_, something you obviously don't care about. Look at the situation. I'm going to be executed for high treason. Uncle is gumming up the process as much as he can, out of some kind of sentimentalist feeling, but it is _not safe_ to be seen anywhere near me. By all accounts" half-whispered rumours, that is "Azula's slipping, becoming irrational and paranoid. What do _you_ think she'd do if she found that Ty Lee was still in contact with me?"

"So, you're just going to rot in here, is that it? You've given up?"

"...Yes. I don't care about what happens to me now." My bit's over.

"Bullshit."

Excuse me?

"You seriously expect me to believe that you're fine with the concept of _dying_? I don't accept that."

I'm scowling. "Well, I don't particularly care about what you think. I'm not going to help you put Ty Lee in danger, and I don't think that she should be anywhere near _you_."

Hmm. Didn't mean to say that last bit out loud. Damn.

"What are you, her _mom_?"

"No, I'm just her friend. Specifically, I'm her friend who had to endure about two months of her worrying herself sick about you, and I'm the friend who was there when you finally meet her again, and you don't even acknowledge her existence, not even stepping in when she got thrown in jail." I'm good and angry now.

"There wasn't any _time_! And I wanted to talk to her, but think about how that would have looked to the Earth King. I had to get him to trust me, and telling him that one of the three people who just attacked him shouldn't be locked up because I- because I'm _friends_ with them would look a little suspicious, don't you think?" He's defending himself, quite loudly.

"So you're saying you let her get dragged away without saying a word because of some bigger picture? _Damn, _that's cold. I mean, I'm almost impressed, and I've lived with Azula."

I wait, to see what effect my words have, if anything. But there's no answer at all.

–

**Sorry folks, but this is pretty much going to be the format for a while. Lots of talking. Imagine Sokka's lines done in the voice of Kermit the Frog if you get bored. Mai I'm imagining as either Statler or Waldorf.**


	33. Run Deep

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Run Deep.**

–

The Assassin.

I didn't sleep well that night. I haven't slept well in over a month, but this was different. I was being kept up not because I didn't want to fall asleep, but because my brain wouldn't let me. The questions were pointless now- it was far too late for me to do anything differently- but I couldn't stop asking them.

Ty Lee was the crux of my thoughts, and that in itself was a big …_thing_.

Looking back, it seems odd. Whenever she was around, I'd feel...better. Better in myself, better than I was. But when she was gone...

Out of sight, out of mind.

Did I _actually_ care about her? I had thought I did, but once I had set out on the road she'd barely intruded on my thoughts at all, and in retrospect it had been easy, far _too_ easy to let her get taken away with the others, with nothing more than the vague idea that I'd make everything right later, coupled with the warm assurance that I had _won_, and what I was doing was _right_.

I can't help but think that I've just managed to _trick_ myself into thinking that I care about her. The thought is horrifying.

But is that really possible? Am I blowing this out of proportion?

Maybe I'm just naturally more callous than I'd thought.

Ugh.

–

The Guardian.

He started laughing ten minutes ago. It's low and muffled, but he's actually _laughing_ at something. Freak.

It's _really_ annoying. Especially since it's _three in the fucking morning_.

At first, I thought I could wait him out- after all, if I can survive Azula's snoring (did I mention that before? It's horrible. She's one of those awful people that snore without any rhythm to get used to and tune out. It would go 'snh snh snh mn_aaaa'_, but then next time it would go 'snhsnh snhmn... _aaaa' _and sometimes, just for variety, she'd go 'snh snh... snh snh... snh snh _BLORT'_. The worst part was that we couldn't wake her up. Ty Lee tried once, but Azula set her hair on fire without waking up), then I can survive this.

But he's already worn my patience thin.

The Assassin.

They still came. Idiots. Didn't they know by now? They _can't win_.

Yet still they rise. Well, I guess I'll have to knock them down again.

Here we go.

The Guardian.

Right. He's been sniggering for quite long enough. It's getting creepy.

I mean, it's not a happy laugh, not in the slightest. I'm... not really sure what kind of laugh it is. The closest I've got is that it sounds like one of Azula's more psychotic smirks looks. If that makes any sense at all.

Whether it makes sense or not, I have _got_ to shut him up. He's driving me mental.

So, what am I going to do? Just pound on the wall?

Yeah, sure, let's go with that. Can't hurt.

The Assassin.

They fall like wheat.

But there are always more.

Something is going wrong.

My blade tumbles from my hand, I'm pulled under the grey tide.

Something slams into my shoulder, and my mind explodes.

Through the agony, a bell rings, deep and ominous. The tide thins.

Two words.

"_Agh! Fuck!_"

The Guardian.

Well _done, _Mai. 'Let's just punch a steel wall as hard as I can, _that'll_ be loud enough'. You've really excelled yourself this time.

Still, I noted as I cradled my hand, he had stopped laughing. It sounded like he had contracted asthma instead, but at least he was quiet now.

–

The Assassin.

I stared blearily at the man across from me, and tried to prevent my head from slamming into the table. It was harder than it should have been.

I had been woken up at Spirits know what hour by Mai swearing. Quite loudly. When I asked, as politely as I could muster, what in the name of fuck she thought she was playing at, she told me, and I quote, to 'shut the hell up, you damn weirdo, I think I've broken my hand thanks to you, you mad bastard'. I thought the whole situation rather strange.

Of course, I had an... interrogation? No, I can't really call them that; it doesn't fit the bill.

Interview, then. Anyway, I had one now, and I was finding it very hard to stay awake.

My interviewer must have noticed, because he said something in that slightly gravelly voice of his, and a steaming cup was pushed in my direction. I drank. I didn't have the energy to refuse.

A few minutes later, and I felt the caffeine kick in, and my eyes opened fully for the first time that morning.

On the whole, I think I would have preferred to remain comatose. That way, this guy could natter away to his heart's content, and I could get some sleep, and not have to listen to a word this idiot says.

Not that I actually pay any heed to anything he's said so far. Why would I?

"So, Sokka, I was talking with my wife yesterday evening- you see, as long as I'm here, me and my wife are given lodgings; I can tell you, she does _not _care for it here, but I'm only on for another few months, then another young man is replacing me, and it's off back to- but I'm getting off topic. As I was saying, sir, I was just discussing the questions I should ask you, and she was gracious enough to give me a few pointers." A hand delved into his pocket, and he pulled out a grubby piece of paper, along with a small wooden disc. The paper was spread out in front of him, while the little wooden disc remained in his left hand.

"So, shall we get started then?" he asked , pleasantly. I shrugged my acquiescence. It was too early in my sleep cycle to really care.

"That's wonderful, sir. Now, my wife suggested I start with a few, you know, background questions, to sort of ease you into it, as it were."

"Do I have the option to not tell you if I think it's going to compromise my friends?"

"Oh, of course, sir. I wouldn't want to put you in any kind of uncomfortable position. What answers you give are entirely at your discretion." I noticed he had started fiddling with the little circle of wood. Not running it over his knuckles, or anything that would require skill of rhythm, just... fiddling.

"Thanks."

He nodded. "So... how are you feeling? I have to say, you don't look too well." He sounded concerned.

"In the last five days, I've been stabbed, fallen from a great height, hit in the head with a stick, thrown onto a cart, kicked repeatedly, dragged across the country, thrown in jail, and been asked bewildering questions. Forgive me if I don't get up and dance a jig."

My interrogator nodded, and scrawled something on his piece of paper, while muttering under his breath. I caught the words "not inclined...to dance jig."

Truth be told, I was feeling especially crappy today. My left shoulder was still hurting like something that really shouldn't hurt as much as it did, and my arm still only worked grudgingly. Not that I was going to tell him as much.

"Do you have any family, sir?" Whoa, sudden change of direction.

"A sister. A father. By necessity I had a mother at one point."

He nodded a few times, in rolling succession. "Well, that's nice, sir. I have a sister myself, and five brothers. Used to drive my father _insane_, we did, and I was the biggest troublemaker of the lot- but this isn't about me. So, what are they like? I mean, how would you describe them?" He fumbled, and dropped the disc, sending it bouncing onto the table. In the instant before his hand slammed down, trapping it, I could see it was a Pai Sho tile. One of the white ones.

I sat and thought about his question for a while, not exactly something I had intended to do. But it was one of those irritating questions that burrow into your head and squat there until you've though of an answer that seems satisfactory. The kind of question, in short, that this guy had been pulling out of his ass for the last three days.

"Well, my sister... how do you call someone 'naïve' without it sounding like an insult?"

He pondered my dilemma. "Young? Hopeful?"

I nodded. "Both of those would do, I guess. Plus she's a lot like I remember my mom."

"Oh? What was she like?"

"What's any eight-year-old's mom like?" Nurturing. Kind. _Idealised_.

He nodded in understanding.

"As for my father, well... he's tall." And no, I will _not_ go into specifics. No_ true _ones, anyway. No need to make myself seem more useful to the Fire Nation. This detail was, in spite of its lack of, well, _detail_, noted down with worrying industry anyway.

"Well, carrying on, you mentioned friends earlier. Why aren't they with you?"

I stared at him. "Because then they would be in prison, and that would be _bad_."

"No, what I mean is, why didn't they come with you and help? Did they not have the necessary skills, or something?"

"No, but that's not the point."

His eyes lit up. "So you want to keep them safe, is that it, sir? You don't want them in danger you thought you could handle alone?"

"Yes," I say, quickly. Possibly too quickly.

I mean, it's true that I didn't want them mixed up in this, but I didn't have a problem sending them into a war zone. The truth is...

I'm not going to think about this now. I'm getting a growing feeling that this guy can guess at least some of what I'm thinking.

"Well, that seems to have cleared things up for me a bit, sir, and I'm thankful to you. We'll continue with this discussion another time, if you're ready to stop now."

–

The Guardian.

I was sitting in my cell, watching the messenger hawks fly past. So far there had been four. One to the north, one _from_ the north, one from the east, and just now, one heading east.

It was a nice afternoon, really. My rice had been almost completely bereft of water, which had thoughtfully arrived in a cup. No chopsticks, though. They were too suspicious of my natural talents when it comes to throwing things to allow me anything so pointy.

On the one hand, I was naturally proud that my reputation was intimidating enough that they imagined I could kill someone with a wooden chopstick from the other side of a steel door. On the other, though, it meant I had to eat my rice with what amounted to a small, paper-thin rectangle of wood, which I had to use like a shovel. _Barbaric_.

A clacking of locks indicated that the Sweeper was being returned to his lodgings, most likely. Or Sweeper had been executed, and this was his replacement.

About twenty minutes later, my quandary was answered.

"Mai?"

Oh, so the Sweeper hasn't departed this vale of tears (more like valley of soul-numbing boredom at the moment, but that's beside the point) just yet.

"Mai, I know you're there. ...Unless you've been taken off somewhere, in which case I'm talking to thin air, or someone completely different. Man, if someone else is in there, please grunt unintelligibly for two seconds. ...Well, alright then."

Well, what's all this about?

"Mai... look, I know it's not going to change a thing, but I _am_ sorry. I have reasons why I didn't say anything, but it doesn't change the fact that I was kind of a bastard. ...Look, it's a _problem_, okay? I'm working on it.

"But yeah. I'm sorry. I mean it. And if you can think of a way I can get that message to Ty, then I'm all ears."

Wow, he actually sounds like he means it. Well, either he's a very good actor, and he's decided that I (somehow) am his ticket out of here, or he's being genuine.

Either way, it can't hurt to play along.

"I'm not the person to apologise to, although I am going to take into account the extenuating circumstances, and I want you to make note of the fact that I am still _extremely_ suspicious of your intentions, but, disregarding that, it was a nice speech, and it was kind of satisfying to hear you grovel, so overall I'm going to give you a seven."

There was a short pause.

"Oo...kay? So... that's good? I guess?"

I rolled my eyes.

The Assassin.

That all sounded sort of positive, so I felt I could risk continuing the conversation.

"So... I was wondering... um... what caused you to wake me up in the middle of the night and start swearing at me?"

"...You were laughing. Like a maniac."

Oh.

"I was? _Really_?"

"Why would I lie about something like that? What was so funny, anyway?"

I shook my head, jarring my shoulder.

"Just a dream."

"Huh." She sounded rueful. "Must be nice for you to have such amusing dreams."

"No. Not really. They're... not fun."

I could almost hear her furrowed brow.

"So what's with the laugh? You sounded like you were having a whale of a time."

I don't want to talk about this. But I want to disrupt this fragile peace even less.

"I'm... not myself, in the dream. Not exactly. I'm... enjoying myself."

The Guardian.

Oh, _gross_.

"Okay, I've changed my mind now. I _seriously _do not want to know any more about these dreams of yours. In fact, can we never mention this conversation again?"

"What? ...No! Nothing like that! ...Ah, forget it."

"I'll try my very best. I promise you that."

**--**

**Wow. Only three chapters down the line, and already I'm sick of this setup. Better change things up quick, before I die of boredom.  
**


	34. Run On

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Run On.**

–

The Assassin.

"Once"

"there"

"was"

"a"

"one-eyed"

"...You can't do that."

"It's hyphenated; it only counts as one word."

"Fine."

…

"It's your turn, you know."

"trouser-snake."

"...Oh come on."

"You've never heard of them? They're native to... Ember Island. And they're called that because... the bottom half of them is black, while the top half is a kind of cream."

"...Right. Anyway, it's my turn. 'who'"

"really"

"really"

"liked"

"to"

"fill"

"...some"

"holes."

"...Look, Mai, if you're going to turn everything into some kind of crude innuendo, I'm not playing any more."

"...What are you talking about?"

"Oh shut up."

–

The days passed, an endless repetition of the same limited pattern. I would be interviewed, mostly on mundane things, such as my favourite foods, and my opinion on poetry, and so forth. Dull, with only the occasional difficult question. Then I would be thrown back into my cell, and left to the tender mercies of Mai's acerbic sense of humour.

It was galling, but I had admitted to myself that I had precious little control of anything right now. In the interviews, I couldn't do much but decide how much to answer, and whenever I remained silent or evaded the question, I got the feeling that my lack of a straight answer was more telling than anything I could have said. And as for Mai, well, if she wanted to talk, she would talk. If not, I would be left talking to the wall until I gave up and sank into silence. I had thought myself patient, but that girl was a _rock_.

Overall, things were frustrating. I hadn't finished; of that I was certain. There was still so much I had to _do_, so many things to set right. I had to apologise to Ty Lee, for starters.

Plus there was a war on. That too.

And there's a question that's been nagging me for a while now, ever since I remembered it.

Perhaps Mai will know the answer.

–

The Guardian.

After so long (with the aid of Sokka, I had figured out that it had been about two and a half months) in prison, I had managed to get lounging around down to a fine art. The trick is to not think about everything too hard- you have to ration topics. On occasions, I would find myself without anything new to think about, at which point I would indulge Sokka's many, many, many questions.

Frankly, I don't know what he hoped to achieve with his questioning. Even if he learned something useful, it can't have escaped even his notice that we're in _prison_.

"Mai?"

I sighed. "Yes?"

"Something's been bothering me for a while now."

"Don't worry. It's perfectly normal for boys your age to go through a period of confusion about their sexual identity, or so I'm told. You'll get over it."

He hit something against the wall. I think it was his head.

"You're infuriatingly awkward, you know that?"

Well duh.

"Never mind." He muttered something. I didn't catch it.

The Assassin.

"One of us has to be the mature one," I murmured. Hopefully she didn't hear me. "Anyway, I was going to ask if you knew what was going to happen on the third of the Ram." It's been bugging me for some time.

There isn't a reply from the other side of the wall.

"Where did you hear that date?" She sounds serious. This is getting interesting.

"It was on a troop order. The Field Marshall Qiqiang was going to order all bender units back from the front. I have no idea whether his commands went through or not- the paper was destroyed, but..."

"Well..." she pauses. Presumably she wants to be theatrical. "Nothing. Nothing at all. It's just a normal day."

I deflated. "Oh." I wasn't sure exactly what I had been expecting, but for whatever reason, I had assumed that something had the Fire Nation spooked. Perhaps something we could have used.

Suddenly, Mai spoke again, and this time there was a generous helping of Smirk in her voice. "However, if it's the _tenth_ you're talking about..."

The Guardian.

Okay, that was a little mean. I have to get my amusement where I can, you know.

"The tenth?"

"You're lucky I know this, you know. I just happened to be in the next room over at the time." Hiding behind a curtain.

"How convenient," he deadpanned. I chose to ignore that.

"Anyway, our story begins with an ambitious young- well, okay, he's not exactly _young_ by this point, about fifty- Commander named Zhao. I figure that this would be about the time he lost your... services, a few months after Zuko was banished."

"That would be about right, yeah."

"Anyway, he had risen to the position of Commander quite quickly, due to a few well-placed deaths, which in retrospect I guess you were responsible for."

"All but three of them. There is a war on, you know."

"Look, who's telling this story here? Anyway, let's just say that Commander wasn't enough for him, but his talents weren't enough to take him any higher. So one day, he requested an audience with the Fire Lord, and presented a couple of pertinent bits of information. A week later, and we had a brand new Admiral.

"One of the most important things he had revealed was the date that the Fire Nation would be at its weakest in over a hundred years. On the tenth of the Ram, the moon will pass in front of the sun for eight minutes, completely blocking it."

"But... but... no sun means-"

"No bending. For eight minutes."

The Assassin.

There's a lot that can be done in eight minutes.

This is big. This is _huge_.

And here I am, unable to do a damn thing about it.

"Mai, who else would know about it? Apart from Ozai and two dead men, I mean."

"Well, there's me. Azula will probably know."

Not what I meant. "General Iroh?"

There's a swish. Her head is shaking violently and her hair has gotten long. "He was with Zuko, remember?"

"Damnit. Well, thanks a lot for telling me that."

"Hn."

The Guardian.

Why _did_ I tell him? I wasn't really thinking, but if he gets out (and that's one hell of an _if_), then I've committed another count of treason.

Okay. Damage control. There has to be some kind of deal I can cut.

...Okay, there has to be some kind of deal I can cut that _doesn't _rely on Sokka's goodwill. I've seen just how far _that_ extends.

This might take some thinking about.

–

The Assassin.

We were playing Pai Sho again. It was his move first.

The White Lotus tile slid into the centre of the board. Just like last time.

Okay, let's begin. Rose to the foreign tip.

"So, Sokka," he said, with a smile, as another tile clacked down. "I think we've learned a lot in these sessions."

I raised my eyebrow, as I placed a boat tile down. "Really? 'Cause I thought you'd just learned a whole load of useless stuff. Like, the fact that I don't like opera."

"Oh, I don't know." Clack. "These sorts of things always tell me a lot, sir. I don't know about you, but I always find the little details are more telling than the big things, as it were."

I stared at the board. Hmm. I placed a jasmine tile down, in preparation. "What do you mean?"

"Well, sir, if you'll forgive my presumptions, I have noted that you, as you said, you dislike opera, have no taste for poetry, and your favourite food is cured seal meat. Now, that, along with a whole lot of other things, makes me think you don't care much for the, the _trappings_ of nobility, as it were." Clack.

I don't say anything. Let the man have his theories. I placed another tile. A rock, to disrupt his growing harmony.

"Now, that might seem trivial to you sir, but it's an example of how _patterns_ can emerge in these things. And I think I've learned one very important thing about you." He placed a tile down, and looked me in the eye. "You are afraid."

_You're just afraid to go look for it._

I stared him down. "What, exactly, gave you that idea?"

His voice was still as warm as ever, but his eyes were sharp.

"Oh, just the little things." Clack. "You would answer certain questions too quickly, without thinking." Clack. "You fidget." Clack. "You lie." Clack. "You can't keep eye contact." Clack. "Your breathing gets irregular."

I glanced at the board. How in the-

"So tell me, Sokka." He leant over his victory. "What are you afraid of?"

–

The Guardian.

A series of thuds informed me that Sokka had been reunited with his cell. And the floor, by the sounds of things.

From the little he had told me, his interrogator sounded like a strange man. Sokka had expressed the opinion that the man was a moron.

I thought that was unlikely. Uncle doesn't employ morons. He employs idiots, it's true, but only because idiots are hard to persuade, and thus con. The point is, no one becomes a lieutenant in the Boiling Rock without at least a little intelligence.

"Have fun?" I asked.

"We played Pai Sho," he said, his voice surprisingly wooden. "I lost."

"Well, it's nice to hear that at least one of us is having a good time."

"Hn." He didn't sound convinced. Ungrateful git.

Abruptly, there was a sharp rapping on the door, signifying the arrival of food. As was customary, I sat on my bed, while two hilariously nervous firebenders pointed their fists at me and a third deposited the cup and bowl on the floor, before retreating.

You know, it really is pathetic, but it still gave me a little thrill to see them _cower_.

The thrill subsided as I picked up my rice. Dull, dull, dull. I would _kill_ for some fire flakes. And that's not hyperbole.

Oh... what's this?

There's something in my rice. It looks like...a Pai Sho tile? Is someone playing Stupid Buggers?

Suddenly there is a horrible dry retching from the next cell over, followed by several wet coughs and a damp clang. It seems Sokka found one in his dinner too.

"What the _hell_?" he asks, raspily.

"I've found a Pai Sho tile in my rice," I tell him.

"...Which one?"

I brush the soggy grains from the tile.

"The White Lotus. I think. I don't play the game. It looks like a white lotus."

"... Oh really?" he sounds intrigued.

"Yeah, really. Why? Is it meaningful?"

"It means," he says, slowly and with growing confidence, "that we have not been abandoned."

Oh hooray.

--

**Okay, bored of prison now.**


	35. Run Away

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Run Away.**

–

The Guardian.

"So let see if I've got this straight. Your interrogator has been fiddling with a White Lotus tile for almost all your interrogations."

"Right."

"He has also used the tile extensively in the both times you played Pai Sho with him."

"Right again."

"And now we both find a White Lotus tile in our food."

"About ten minutes ago now. I don't see what's so difficult about all of this-"

"Let me finish. Anyway, you surmise that this means he using this image association to give you a warning of some non-specific kind. A sort of general preparedness alert."

"Yes. What's so hard to understand about this?"

"I'm getting to that. So you think it's possible that he's a revolutionary or something, and supports you and your ...escapades?"

"It's as good a theory as I can come up with right now, but yeah, why not?"

"Well then, why am _I_ involved? I have nothing to do with you, apart from the indecent in Ba Sing Se, which he _can't _know about, not unless he's got access to some insanely good spies, and in that case what the hell is he doing here?"

There's a moment's pause from the other cell. "Well... perhaps he figures that since you're in here for treason, you'd make a good potential revolutionary? I mean, your record's pretty incriminating on paper."

"Thanks for reminding me. And I suppose that might be it, as distasteful as that idea is."

"Distasteful?"

"I am _not_ going to sit in some cave and snipe at caravans, thank you very much. I'd rather stay here."

"...You're serious, aren't you? You're actually considering _staying_."

"Of course. If you haven't figured out why yet, you're even dumber than I'd thought."

"...Your family, huh."

"No. I've failed them already. If they're still safe it's going to be in spite of me, not because of me."

"...Ty."

"She was free as of three weeks after I was locked up. I see no reason why she shouldn't be now. But if I escape, and word on the grapevine is accurate about Azula, well, Ty Lee's future will be just about as stable as a tea set in an earthquake. That is, liable to be destroyed. Crushed. Irreparably shattered."

"Okay, okay, enough with the metaphors."

"It's a simile. I said 'as'."

"Whatever."

There's a few minutes of silence, broken by fevered muttering from next door.

"I've got a plan. Mai, come with me."

"...No."

"Seriously. Listen, we get busted out, assuming that all goes to plan, and as soon as we can, we head to the capital."

"So far, this plan has a terrible beginning and is heading towards a goal I don't want. No."

"Oh, shut up and listen to me."

"What if I don't want to?"

"Well, it's not like you can go anywhere. Anyway, Ty's relationship with her parents is... crappy, at absolute best."

"She told you about that, huh?"

"...Yeah."

"You really should have paid attention to the fact she told you. She doesn't tell _anyone_ about that. I found out by accident, when she got into the rice wine and started blubbing on my shoulder."

"Look, can we skip the lecture about how much of a jerk I've been? I concede the point, and I might not have much time to convince you that this plan is great."

"...Get on with it, then."

"Okay, so, odds are Ty is staying somewhere in the palace. We'll send a messenger hawk to Ba Sing Se, telling them about the eclipse, so we'll have a little breathing room. Then, one of us sneaks in to the palace, finds Ty Lee and persuades her to come with us. Then we stow away on the first eastbound ship we find."

"...I'm sorry, but you lost me at 'sneak into the palace'. Are you _mad_?"

"I've already done it once."

"Well, good for you. Your idea is far too reliant on coincidence and Ty Lee listening to you to have a proper chance."

"But, in theory, if I could figure out a version that had a better chance, could you, possibly, be persuaded to go along with it?"

"...On one condition. As soon as we hit the Earth Kingdom someone gets your flying cow and takes me to Om- New Ozai. I don't care if I have to besiege the city myself, I'm sorting out that mess."

"...You're terrifying when you're angry, you know that? But it's a deal. I look forward to shaking your hand."

"If any part of your anatomy comes within a foot of me, I'm stabbing it. No joke."

"Or not. If you prefer."

–

The Assassin.

I didn't sleep that night. I wanted to be ready, just in case. Plus, apparently I sometimes laughed in my sleep, and didn't want to scare any potential rescuer away by virtue of sounding completely bugfuck insane.

Unfortunately, this meant that I had time to have second thoughts.

What if this was some elaborate hoax? Make me think that I'm going to be rescued, string me along, and do nothing?

I can't afford to think I know _anything_ about my interrogator. Not after our last conversation. Not his motives, not his personality, _definitely_ not his intelligence, nothing. The only safe thing to do is assume that everything he has said has been an elaborate hoax.

I don't like that train of thought.

–

It was almost dawn when something happened.

There was the unmistakable crumple of a body hitting the floor. Then there was another.

The Guardian.

Hello. Sounds like this escape is on then. Well, I guess it's time to meet this mysterious lieutenant.

The Assassin.

Footsteps running along the corridor, light and agile. In moments, they've stopped, just outside.

A fumble of keys for a second, then a ratcheting lock.

The door opens.

"Okay, this had better be the right door, 'cause I think he said it was twenty-three, but it might have been- oh. Hello, Sokka."

And suddenly I have nothing to say.

The Guardian.

Ty Lee.

I'm surprised. But I really shouldn't be.

The Assassin.

I swing my feet around, and stand.

"Ty..."

Abruptly, she hands me a sack, and a stick, her heavy cloak falling back off her arms.

"These are yours, right?"

I look inside the burlap sack. It's my short sword, my belt with my knives, and, wonder of wonders, my shoes.

"Yeah. ...Thanks a lot, Ty Lee."

She smiles, briefly, but it's guarded, and she stays in the doorway.

"Is anyone going to let me out?"

The Guardian.

I'm feeling a little left out here.

"Mai!"

After a loud moment (it sounded like she dropped the keys) the door was wrenched open, and Ty Lee was proffering a bag that proved to be full of knives, as well as my spare dart launchers, along with a violent (well, _I_ say it was violent. She'd say it was just 'enthusiastic') hug.

Oh, how I've missed those things. The dart launchers, that is. I can do without any more of Ty Lee's hugs.

I strapped them to my forearms and ankles, looping the trigger strings around my heels and my little fingers respectively. It was strange, not having long sleeves or trousers to hide them, and I had nowhere to put my throwing knives. Oh well, back in my...

They sabotaged my pockets, didn't they? Damn.

I picked up my two non-throwing knives, and handed the bag back to Ty Lee.

"You mind hanging on to this? I seem to be short on room."

She took it without a word as Sokka appeared behind her.

Agni, he looked terrible. His hair was getting wild, and he was thinner than he had been at Ba Sing Se.

Of course, I was probably in a worse state. I definitely needed a haircut and about seven baths.

"Right," I said. "Shall we go?"

Ty Lee nodded.

"Follow me."

–

The Assassin.

We ran through dimly-lit corridors, guided by the flapping cloak of Ty Lee. Occasionally, we stumbled across a guard, but none of them managed to do a thing before being paralysed by Ty Lee.

Then we hit a long stairwell. Ty Lee wasted no time in vaulting up the stairs, and I followed.

Mai didn't.

The Guardian.

Now, just one minute.

"Ty Lee, I distinctly remember the gondolas being _this _way." I had been given the guided tour of this prison a while back. It seems I have a better memory than I had thought.

"I know! Hurry up!" floated down the stairs.

"Where are you leading us?"

"The roof! Come on, it's just up here!"

The Assassin.

The roof?

I ran up the stairs after Ty Lee, feeling the wind on my face for the first time in Spirits knew how long. The grey rectangle of sky above me was tinged with orange. Dawn was breaking.

And then I was out from the stairs, and confronted with a pair of golden eyes.

The Guardian.

Just how many stairs are there anyway? I'm starting to regret wearing my ankle-launchers.

The Assassin.

I have never been so pleased to see a member of the Fire Nation royal family in my entire life. Surrounding the General were the bodies of about twenty guards, dead or incapacitated, I couldn't tell from this distance.

He stood, relaxed but hands free, in front of a six-tonne monster, who had one passenger.

"Sokka! _-Look out_!"

Katara!

But... she was suddenly turning, sending a plume of water lashing towards-

I didn't have time to think, only leap at Ty in a flying tackle that left us both winded on the floor.

The Guardian.

I arrived on the roof to a blazing row. Of course.

"Sokka, are you _insane_?" Oh look, it's that waterbender girl. And General Iroh. How nice of them to come and get us like this. I hope they didn't have to go too out of their way.

"I'm serious, Katara." Hm. Sokka looks it too. "Either you let her" he glances at me "let them _both_ come, I'm staying right here."

Aw look, he does have a heart after all. Or he's just going on a guilt trip. Either way works for me.

The Assassin.

I stare my sister down. She's the first to blink.

"You're serious, aren't you? You're actually serious. You must be _insane_." She sounds like she's talking more to herself than to me.

"Well, yes, but that's beside the point."

Eventually, she shrugs.

"Well... if you're sure..."

"I am." For the first time in a long while, I'm completely sure about something. Either we all leave, or I stay right where I am. Refreshingly simple.

"Okay then..." Her stance drops, and General Iroh claps his hands.

"Wonderful. Now, if we are all in agreement, I suggest we get moving."

I turn to Ty Lee, standing a little away from me, and extend my hand.

"Ty, you coming?"

She looks at me, eyes lidded, and for one horrible second I imagine that she's going to say no.

Then she flashes one of her beautiful smiles, and takes my hand.

"Ugh. Can we get moving? Only I think I see catapults down there..."

The Guardian.

As saccharine as the scene in front of me was shaping out to be, I still wasn't prepared to trust Sokka with Ty Lee. Call me overbearing, call me paranoid, and I probably am both. But I'm not dead, and nor are anyone on my list (as far as I know. Zuko might well have succumbed to his own stupidity while his nanny/uncle is here).

Besides, there _are _catapults down on the lower roof. It's a valid concern.

* * *

**I do like writing conversations without any non-dialogue clues. I was going to go back and had "I said, he said" and so forth later, but I figured this chapter didn't need any more padding.**

**Oh, in case you care, we've hit song number eight of (so far) twenty-four. The tracklist so far is (again, in case anyone cares):**

**You're Gonna Go Far, Kid- _The Offspring_**

**The Unforgiven III- _Metallica_**

**Make A Move- _Lostprophets_**

**Carry On Wayward Son- _Kansas_**

**Hero- _Nas_**

**Changes- _David Bowie_**

**Oh! You Pretty Things- _David Bowie_**

**Get Up Outta the Dirt- _Butterfingers_**

**I can't tell you what the rest of the songlist is yet. Rest assured I will mention it at an appropriate time.  
**


	36. Candle in the Window

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Candle in the Window.**

–

The Assassin.

The escape was suspiciously easy. Only one catapult was ready to fire at us while we were still in range, and avoided with a minimum of effort. I wasn't sure how much of that was due to the earliness of the hour, and how much to do with our benefactor on the inside.

Either way, I breathed much easier once we had left the extinct volcano far behind.

Sitting up, I found that I had placed myself opposite General Iroh. Katara was on my right, sitting on the nape of the bison's neck, facing towards the saddle. Mai and Ty Lee were to my left, near the tail.

I supposed introductions were in order.

"So," I began "this is my sister, Katara. Katara, this is Mai, and this is Ty Lee."

Ty raised a hand in a wave, but Mai just glowered.

"We've met." She sounded laconically murderous, but half the time that's just what Mai sounds like.

"Oh good." I sat back, my part over.

"She abducted my brother."

Katara sat bolt upright. "I did _not_!"

"Oh? A certain incident in O- New Ozai slip your mind, then?"

"I – _we_ just found him! We had no idea who he was until you sent us that letter!"

I massaged my temples and closed my eyes. I glanced at the man opposite, hoping to convey my desire _not_ to deal with the growing argument in right now. He seemed to understand, or at least had been thinking along the same lines as me, because he suddenly cleared his throat in a way that raised sparks.

"Might I suggest that we postpone this argument until we are all on the ground? At least there you will have room for a fair attempt to kill each other, without risk of collateral damage."

Not... _exactly_ what I had been hoping for, but whatever.

–

It got warmer as the sun rose higher, and my shoulder was much happier for it. Katara had noticed me wince the first time the wind had picked up, and the first time we had passed through a cloud, but she hadn't said anything, presumably not too keen on breaking the heavy silence. She did, however, make an effort to avoid clouds after that.

She really didn't have to, but I appreciated the gesture.

I settled, getting as comfortable as I could.

"So, how goes the war?" I asked at large.

Katara swivelled to face me, and spoke.

"Well, the liberation of the Northern Air Temple went off without a hitch, which was good. Aang... got some of his spark back after that. I guess he's just happy that we've made some real progress. Their leader came back with us to Ba Sing Se, and left his son in charge of the colony. Right now he's working on something that explodes a lot."

I nodded. "And what about everything else?"

"Well, Toph will probably be the one to want to tell you about the Dai Li- she's told it to everyone who will listen. I mean, it _is_ a pretty good story, but it doesn't live up to repetition."

"The war in the north, however, has... stalled, as of late," General Iroh interjected. "The armies need time to restock and rest, and have encountered increasingly fierce resistance as they head towards the sea. At the moment they have stalled four days forced march from Ba Sing Se, and are digging in. They will not move again until the southern forces begin their push, on the fifth of the Ram. That's two weeks, in case you were unsure," he added, realising that I probably didn't have a calender on me.

I grinned. "The fifth, huh? ...Do you think I can possibly persuade you to postpone a little?"

–

The Guardian.

The war dominates the conversation. General Iroh and the waterbender are ecstatic at the news of the eclipse. Ty Lee and I stay out of it.

A larger part of me than I had thought raged at the sight of General Iroh discussing so _casually_ the plans to defeat his own country. It's not really patriotism, it just seems his treachery is... _rude_. Yes. It's bad form.

But then what am I? Where do I fit in to all this? Am I going to sit on the sidelines and cheer for the winner? Do I have to pledge my allegiance to a bald twelve year old? Should I be prepared to attack the Fire Nation?

If I don't, there's a very real chance that Ty Lee and I will be arrested as prisoners of war the moment we set foot in Ba Sing Se. Although I've been given a little hope that Sokka might at the very least _attempt_ to stop something like that (unless, of course, we conflict with his 'bigger picture' in some way), the idea is worrying.

Frankly, my ideal future will be one in which everyone leaves me alone, and allows me to go to -_New Ozai_, and check on my family. But that's not going to happen.

Running away is going to be impossible. No one in their right mind would grant me the kind of freedom that would let me get away from Ba Sing Se.

So, if I was going to be melodramatic, I would say that I've exchanged one cage for another, roomier one. Possibly one with better food and bedding.

Well, an upgrade is an upgrade. I shouldn't complain about _that_, at least.

–

The Assassin.

Something was bothering me. A detail about the last twelve hours that was glaringly out of place.

Besides, Ty Lee has been very quiet so far, and it's a little unnerving. I know we're going to have to talk, and soon, but not here. There isn't any privacy on this saddle. But I can ask her about this, at least.

"Ty, I was wondering, how did you organise that rescue?" I glanced over, and was absurdly grateful that she actually looked at me.

Perhaps I've been building this up too much in my head. I can blame Mai for that one.

"Well, there's not much of a story, really. I just got a messenger hawk one day that told me that both of you two were in prison, and you had been placed next to each other. About two and a half weeks later I got another one that said that if I wanted to help you escape then I should show up at four in the morning at the gondola station. So I did."

The Guardian.

You see, _this_ is why Ty Lee needs me around. She starts going off and doing utterly stupid things like this otherwise. For someone who has hung around Azula since she was old enough to cartwheel, she somehow stubbornly resisted the need to grow a sense of self-preservation. Which is all well and good, provided I'm around.

The Assassin.

I raised my eyebrow. "And that's it? Who was the letter from?"

She shrugged. "No name, just a picture of a flower. Mai, stop glaring at me."

A flower, huh? Well, the Lieutenant really took his little theme seriously.

"I have every right to glare at you."

"Why?" Ty Lee threw her hands into the air. "I just helped break you out of _prison_, didn't I?"

"You shouldn't have been stupid about it, if you were going to do it at all. And before you complain, going along with mysterious letters that tell you to do something dangerous and illegal is _stupid_."

That was... cruel. Mai seemed to notice the fact that she had reduced Ty to silence, and wound down.

"That being said, it _did_ turn out alright, in spite of the odds, so..."

Ty Lee grinned, and twirled her hand. "Sooo..."

Mai let out a long-suffering sigh. "So, thank you for saving me from certain death. I guess."

I sat backwards, sighing as I settled in to sleep, the setting sun on my left.

–

The Guardian.

I was tired. Ty Lee, Sokka and the General had long since fallen asleep. I wasn't prepared to trust the waterbender or Sokka (or, if it came down to it, General Iroh) enough to fall asleep without a sturdy wall separating me and them.

The waterbender (what was her name? I was sure Sokka had mentioned it. It began with a 'K'. Kora? Karen? Katrina?) was piloting the flying bison, and very pointedly not looking at me. In fact, she had completely turned her back on me.

...Oh, you might _think_ that she was just busy flying this beast, but I can tell when someone is deliberately not looking at me.

I need a comb. I'm not likely to get one, though. Oh well.

…

Time passed, and I grew tired of sitting down. So I stood, stretching, and watched as the Earth Kingdom began to unfurl beneath us. We were approaching Ba Sing Se from what I guessed (with my limited knowledge of geography/cartography) was what would technically be called the 'middle' of the Earth Kingdom. Since the north was a warzone, apparently, and the south was a bloody long way out of the way (yet another technical term; I like to be accurate in such things), I supposed our route was sensible enough.

The air was quite pleasant, but it got cold quite fast, and I sat down to avoid the worst of it. Suddenly, I noticed that I had walked the length of the saddle while I was standing admiring the canyons etcetera, and was now just behind the waterbender.

"I didn't kidnap your brother, you know."

I shrugged. "I have no reason to believe you didn't."

She turned to look at me. "Why would I lie? What possible motive could I have?"

I shrugged again. "I don't know."

She gave me an expectant look for a little while, before deducing that that was all she was going to get.

"Whatever. But I didn't."

"If you say so."

She glowered at me. "Must you be so... _irritating_?"

"No." I just managed to contain a smirk, which would have ruined the whole thing, of course. "Is there anything to eat?"

She shot me an odd look, and dragged over a small package.

"There's some seal jerky. I'm sure Sokka won't mind if you have some."

It looked like someone had grilled strips of shoe leather then left them to dry, but I picked one up nonetheless, as did the waterbender, whose name continued to escape me.

I bit into the strange food, and tore a piece off with my teeth. Hmm. Salty, but not too bad.

Fifteen minutes later, and I had finally swallowed my first mouthful of the stuff. Well, at least it'll keep me going.

Wordlessly, the waterbender handed me a drinking pouch. I took a much larger swig than I meant to, but I don't think I cared.

"So, what were you in prison for? I thought you were best friends with Azula," the waterbender asked, sharply.

"I was. Then I attacked her in Ba Sing Se. Treason is usually frowned on in the Fire Nation, you know." As long as you get caught, anyway.

She blinked. "What did you do that for?"

"Sokka blew my cover. Intentionally, so as to distract Azula." Seeing the look of confusion on the girl's face, and figuring that if she were anything like her brother, and endless stream of questions was about to be headed my way, I reluctantly elaborated.

"I cut a deal with Sokka, which... conflicted with some of Azula's interests." No, I won't elaborate. "He kept up his end, but revealed our deal in front of Azula, in order to throw her off balance. So she attacked me- well, I could tell she was _going_ to attack me, so I counterattacked first. Sokka and his little earthbending friend won."

"Oh. Um-"

"Oh, don't worry, we've already had _that_ awkward conversation. Along with a few others, too."

She blinked heavily, and then shook her head.

"Look, I'm going to go to sleep now. If you're staying up, would you mind steering Appa?"

"You mean the flying cow?" Said flying cow shook its head and roared quietly, presumably in protest at the demeaning name.

She scowled. "He's called Appa. Look, just sit here and keep a hand on the reins. If he stops heading for the light, just pull him back into line."

"Light? What light?"

She pointed ahead. On the horizon, there was indeed a faint glow.

"Ba Sing Se. If anything else happens, wake me or Iroh. If there isn't time, he responds to verbal commands pretty well- he's very smart. Just call him Appa."

I shrugged. Well, if I was going to stay up, I might as well do something. Fairly trusting of the girl, though, to let me drive. What was to stop me turning around and heading back to the Fire Nation?

Well, lots, but what that _she_ knew about?

As odd as it sounded, perhaps she simply believed me when I said I wasn't really welcome in the Fire Nation any more.

Huh. I don't usually meet someone that naïve.

The nape of this beast's neck is more comfortable than the wooden floor of the saddle, at any rate.

So we flew on, towards the glow of a million candles and a very uncertain future.

Ugh. I get melodramatic when I'm sleepy.

–

**Not one word of this chapter was planned at all. My story arc said, verbatim, "Fly back to Ba Sing Se. Takes two days." It was a case of sticking a bunch of characters in a confined space, and seeing what happens. Challenging, but rewarding.**

**But I have got to stop nicking Creedence Clearwater Revival lines for chapter titles. I've already done it once this story, and that should be my limit.**


	37. The CatchUp Game

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Catch-Up Game.**

–

The Assassin..

I woke up, and the first thing I noticed was that everyone was looking at me.

It was... startling. Backing up, I glanced from eye to eye, trying to gauge what was going on, why I was the centre of attention. But they were inscrutable, and my suddenness just enhanced their interest. Had they- had I-

A rasp broke the silence.

"Don't worry. You didn't miss a thing. Nothing even _remotely_ amusing happened."

Oh. Okay. Calm down. You didn't do anything. Just breathe.

"Sokka?" Ty Lee is sitting up on her knees, leaning slightly towards me. I took a deep breath, and brushed the hair out of my eyes, shaking my head.

The Guardian.

Now why did I do that?

I mused over that question as Sokka pulled his hair back into that ragged wolftail, stubbornly avoiding anyone's eyes.

What possible reason did I have for defusing that potentially hilariously uncomfortable situation?

I mean, yet another awkward conversation would be annoying to listen to, but I could have just tuned it out.

No, there must be some underlying reason for this. Perhaps it was an attempt to foster good relations with him, so as to have one more ally in the veritable shitstorm that is inevitably bearing down on me?

No. Maybe that will be the outcome, and if so that's all well and good, but that idea never crossed my mind.

Most perplexing. I'm not sure I approve of this new-found spontaneity.

You see, _this_ is why _I_ need Ty Lee around. I lose my sense of proportion as to what is a bad move and what isn't if I don't have a constant example nearby. Generally, if Ty Lee does it, = a bad idea. Must bear that in mind in future.

–

The Assassin.

Ba Sing Se. I'm back.

I must say, I'm looking forward to sleeping in a bed again.

The Guardian.

Oh, I think I'm having a minor panic attack.

–

The Assassin.

We touched down at around midday, outside the house. No sooner had we touched down then Aang burst out of the house, his lemur flapping behind him.

Dignified, Aang. Real dignified.

"Sokka!"

"Hi." I waved distractedly as I made my way down the tail of the flying bison. Glancing up, his expression told me he had noticed the other passengers.

"Um... okay? I'm guessing that there's a good reason for the fact that you've brought a couple of people who, last time we met, tried to kill us?" He did, however, have the good sense not to attempt to attack them. That... could have gone badly.

"Weeeell... how would you define a 'good' reason?"

He looked somewhat nonplussed at that.

The Guardian.

I dragged myself upright, eager to be on solid ground.

That... didn't go quite as planned. Months of utter inactivity and very little food had taken their toll, and I tripped on the rim of the saddle, falling face first and sliding down all the way to the ground.

This is just getting better all the time.

I managed to force myself up onto my hands, but since my feet were (due to the sloping tail) level with my head, getting up was going to be ...undignified.

As I looked up, a pale hand was proffered, and I followed the arm up to see a grey-eyed face with an almost-smile. There was also an almost audible _ting_ as the sunlight caught on his bald head.

Well, I'm never one to let pride get in the way of a helping hand, and I might as well start swallowing my ego now. I grabbed his arm and pulled myself upright. Once I was vertical and on the ground, I dusted myself off.

Oh, how I need a change of wardrobe. Walking around with my knees almost visible is sure to create some kind of scandal.

The Assassin.

Well, it didn't look like Aang was going to be a problem. I had hoped that might be the case- he always is willing to give people another chance- but it was still good to see.

They'd need his support, too. I will _not_ let them get locked up again.

"Hey, Sokka. I see you brought some new friends."

Toph interrupted my thoughts with a punch on the arm and a greeting. She had crept up behind me as I was standing by the house.

"Oh, hey Toph. How've things been?"

"Pretty quiet. Aang and Katara went kind of crazy when Iroh bust in saying you'd been captured," she said, abruptly, and turned away from me.

O...kay?

And Iroh?

Whatever. I somehow doubt I'm up to confronting him today.

"So, Katara mentioned that you had an interesting story about the Dai Li."

"Oh!" She turned back to look at me, a grin firmly affixed. "Come on in, sit down." She promptly dragged me inside by the arm, and sat on a large pillow. I elected to sit on the sofa.

"Okay, so we basically started by trying to find families or something of anyone that had gone missing..."

_Nothing. Five thousand men had vanished, and not a single one seemed to have a family. How was that even _possible_?_

_As they investigated, it had quickly become apparent that once you were a Dai Li man, you stopped being anything else. They had never been seen to frequent any bars, no one had encountered any one off-duty, nothing._

"So, after about a week of nothing, we decided to use the information that we had found about how freaky they Dai Li were."

"'We'?"

"Me, Iroh, and Zuko. Angsty McScarpants was actually pretty helpful after a little while."

"_Where did they sleep, then? Surely we would have heard if five thousand men simultaneously stopped paying the rent."_

_Zuko frowned, wishing that his uncle did not have to divide his time between helping them and training the Avatar. But he would solve this. It was a test, a challenge._

"_Perhaps," he started slowly, "perhaps we should have another look at their headquarters."_

"And guess what we found?" She didn't give me time to answer. "First, we _didn't_ find any evidence of sleeping quarters. Secondly, we found that the walls were a whole lot thicker than they should have been."

_Earthbending tore into the walls, and Zuko raised his flame-enclosed fist higher. Padding the walls was a mess of burnt scrolls, which collapsed forward in a spray of ash and collapsed at the prince's feet._

"_Ha! I _knew_ there was something there." Toph sounded very smug. "...What _is_ there, anyway?"_

"_Scrolls. Burnt scrolls."_

_Toph seemed to deflate. "Oh. Well, that sucks."_

"_Not...exactly." Zuko sounded almost like he was dazed. "Fire needs air. Burying the scrolls like this would choke the fire, if they weren't thorough, and they would be in a hurry, so..." he knelt down, scrabbling among the cinders. "Yes, here we go."_

"_What? What is it?" Toph asked, impatiently._

"_The ones at the bottom aren't fully burned. We should get these back to Uncle."_

"Most of the bits were useless, but a huge proportion of them made mention of a place called Lake Laogai, and a couple of uses of the phrase "leaks"- meaning that something was surrounded by water. We figured that would be the best place to start looking. And I had just the thing."

"_Miss Bei Fong, why, exactly, are we wearing blindfolds?" The old general Xiaohong was a kindly man, but even his patience had limits. He and a hundred of his best earthbenders were in the training grounds, sashes over their eyes._

_Toph sighed. "You've got to learn to see with your earthbending. Reach out, like you're going to bend, but don't do anything. You'll see what I mean."_

"They were pretty good at it, too, after a while. It only took some of them a week to stop walking into walls."

_It took a month before Toph considered them good enough, but at the end of that month the hundred were down at the lake's edge, scouring for anything out of place._

_It was one of the older men that found it. A secret well, leading to below the lake._

"We came back with a whole bunch of guys, and Zuko too, just for kicks."

_Toph cracked her knuckles, getting a feel for the leather armour she had been presented with. She turned to Zuko with a grin._

"_So, ready for a field trip?"_

_He nodded, surprisingly certain._

"We busted in with a whole army of guys- it was pretty awesome, let me tell you. We were completely outnumbered, but let me tell you we kicked their _asses_.

"But what's really interesting is what we found afterwards." She leant forwards, her voice equal parts horror and awe. "We interrogated them afterwards- and it was so strange; every one of them could tell complete lies but think they were truth. We figured that they were just trained to keep their cool- until we found the machines."

_Zuko stood, torch raised high, running a confused eye over the bottles on the shelf to one side, the chair with the restraints, the lamp on its circular track._

_What was it all _for_?_

"_General?" he called, back down the hallway. "General Xiaohong? You'd better come have a look at this."_

"They had _brainwashed_ each other," she breathed. "That was why they couldn't answer some questions, why there were only about twenty past lives between them- one in twenty grew up on a farm, another one in twenty had lived in the lower ring, the son of a shoemaker, and so on- and why they were all so _weird_. It's what had been done to the Joo Dees, too."

"Joo Dee_s_?"

"Oh yeah, there were hundreds of them. Really freaky." Toph shook her head. "But there were a few Dai Li who weren't like the others. They couldn't lie without their heartbeats spazzing, for starters. We figured them to be the ringleaders, and there were only about forty-five or so of them."

I shook my head.

"I _really_ hate this city."

Toph, for her part, just shrugged. "I don't know. I think it's starting to grow on me. I mean, when I say jump, people do it now."

–

The Guardian.

We were all staying at the Avatar's house.

Actually, General Iroh and Zuko weren't. They still had that tea shop.

I haven't seen Zuko yet. But there's no rush. No rush at all.

So we were all sitting down, relaxing over a pot of tea.

Well, attempting to relax, anyway.

Well, _I _was attempting to relax. Everyone else seemed to be waiting for the right moment to stab one another.

Well, the waterbender and the midget earthbender seemed to be waiting for the right moment to stab Ty Lee, anyway. She had had the _audacity_ to sit next to Sokka, and actually engage in conversation with him. Nothing particularly interesting, but they seemed...comfortable.

And that was ticking off the two girls, much to my amusement. The Avatar seemed oblivious. Or perhaps he was trying to ignore it.

"So... Avatar," I began.

"His name's Aang" the waterbender filled in, waspishly.

Well, I didn't know that.

"Okay then. A pleasure to meet you, Avatar Aang," I said, and stood, bowing low.

As I sat down, I noted with no small satisfaction the look on the waterbender's face. It was one I was expert at drawing out- the fact that she _knew _I was mocking her, but she had absolutely no way of pointing this out. Great fun.

"Anyway, what's the deal with the tattoos?" I realised that I was drawing a few strange looks. "What? It's bugged me for a while."

The Avatar just smiled broadly, and explained. "They're Master's Tattoos. I got them when I became an official airbending Master. They run along chi lines."

Ty Lee looked up at that. I supposed it was her territory.

"Ah. Okay then." A thought occurred to me. "Didn't that kind of hurt?"

He winced at the memory. "Oh yeah."

"And how old were you at the time?"

"Twelve. The youngest Master ever," he boasted. I wasn't really impressed- he was the _Avatar_, of course he was supposed to be amazing.

"Um, ouch?" Ty Lee offered, to (of course) furious glares from the waterbender, who has yet to learn that it takes a lot more than glaring to dissuade Ty Lee from anything.

After that short exchange, the Avatar at least was free from the uncomfortable atmosphere, and was free to join Sokka and Ty Lee in light conversation. No one else spoke much, until we all retired. Ty Lee and I had been given the earthbender's room, and she was bunking with the waterbender.

Maybe that was the reason for her enmity.

* * *

**I finally came up with a plausible explanation for the canon behaviour of the Dai Li. Fifty men would be much easier to sway than five thousand. Now I'm kicking myself over the fact that not only was it retardedly obvious, but it took me over a day to figure it out.**

**Also, tommorow is my birthday, so I will probably get rascally drunk and not have time to pull my awesome April Fool's prank. Essentially, it would have been updating this story with the chapter, verbatim**

**"Rocks fall. Everyone dies. Except Toph, because she was the one who threw the rocks in the first place."**

**And I would promptly have been lynched. So it's all for the best, really.  
**


	38. Cutting a Deal

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: Cutting a Deal.**

–

The Assassin.

"Sokka, wake up!"

Oh, how often have I been shook awake by those words? Too many, really. Am I not entitled to at least _one_ full night's rest on this wonderful bed?

"Sokka!"

I hauled myself upright, rubbing my eyes.

"What is it, Aang?" He looked worried.

"Sokka, the house is surrounded! By the Palace Guard!"

"_What_? Why?" I stood abruptly, and fished around for my trousers.

They were somewhat worse for a month of prison's wear. I went to the closet instead, and grabbed some green robes that looked serviceable enough.

Aang spoke as I hastily dressed.

"I don't know what they want- all they would tell me when I went and asked them is that the Earth King wants to see me at once."

Sword or no sword? Hmm. I'll just take my short sword. Just in case. I don't like going unarmed to anything.

"What happened to just sending a letter?"

Aang shrugged. "Do you think this is about those two you brought back yesterday?"

Oh damn. That's probably it, isn't it?

–

The walk to the palace was more tiring than I had remembered, and I was soon out of breath. I _hated_ not being in shape any more.

Aang noticed, and slowed down without a word. Our escort seethed behind his black armour, but Aang seemed not to notice.

–

I had to catch my breath twice before we were ushered into the council room. With two guards flanking us, and the eyes of more on us, it felt like we were walking into the stockade.

The Five were sitting at their places, with the Earth King on a raised chair behind them, overseeing the table, opposite the door. There was no one else in the room. The table was bare.

General How was the first to speak, once he had dismissed the guards with a wave and pulled up two rough chairs for Aang and myself, at the table.

"Would you mind explaining your logic behind bringing two people who, last time they were here, attempted to murder the Earth King?"

–

The Guardian.

"It's a beautiful day!" Ty Lee exclaimed, with usual aplomb.

It's times like these- times _sort _of like these, since I can't recall any times that were actually like this- that I wonder if I've actually got Ty Lee all wrong.

Most of the time, I'm convinced that she's a cheerful, obscenely flexible (in every sense of the word) girl who's considerably more intelligent than she appears. She doesn't really strive to improve her station, because she can be happy right where she is. It rarely occurs to her to attempt to change the world around her; she changes to suit it, regains her balance, and goes her merry way. On some days, I suspect that either she's secretly an opium fiend or she's discovered the meaning of life.

On a day like today, however, I have to wonder if I'm reading too deep. Perhaps she's just oblivious and very, very stupid.

I mean, who can stop to consider the roses in circumstances like these?

But that is exactly what she has done. She climbed out of the window- I guess doors take too long, or are out of style, or _something, _and is walking in the garden, admiring the flowers.

How tranqui-

_There's someone there_.

–

The Assassin.

"Well, one of them was locked up with me-"

Xiaohong raised an eyebrow.

"On what charge?"

"High treason. She attacked Princess Azula."

The Earth King nodded.

"It's true, I was there."

There was a silent ripple around the table. No one said it, but I could tell the consensus was that no one who tried to stab Azula could be entirely lacking merit.

"And the other?"

"Was the one to actually break me out of jail. Since she was going to be a wanted criminal for that, I guessed it was only polite to offer her a place to stay."

General How is not pleased. "Polite? Do you realise what this _means_? Your sentimentality has put everyone's lives in danger, bringing them back here. You didn't guard them, you didn't alert anyone, you just gave them a room and let them be! Who knows what they could have done, what they might well have done!"

"Oh? And what of General Iroh?" Aang is on his feet, angry. "You were perfectly happy to take advice from _him_, and he is _far_ more dangerous than these two! Are you just annoyed that Sokka didn't bring back anyone more useful?"

"Gentlemen! _Please_!" The Earth King's voice is sharp. "The Avatar does, however, bring up an interesting point." He nodded to the table in front of him, brows furrowed. "The reasons are irrelevant. The facts of the matter are this- we have four, yes, gentlemen, four, Fire Nation citizens living in the Upper Ring. Each claims to have forsaken their homeland, or have their home forsake them. Can we afford to believe them? Can we afford _not _to? What are we going to do?"

–

The Guardian.

There's not enough time for thought. Just enough to grab a flower of throwing knives and leap out of the window in a very dramatic fashion.

Now I'm outside, I'm starting to wish I had taken another moment to observe the situation.

There are, in fact, _five_ men out here. And I only have three knives.

Bollocks.

–

The Assassin.

Aang and I sat outside, waiting while the Five and the King conferred. We had presented the case as well as we could, now all we could do was wait and see.

"Thanks, by the way. Thanks for sticking up for them back there."

He smiled. "It's not a problem."

I sat back on the bench, resting my head against the wall. I closed my eyes.

A question came, out of the blue.

"You care about her, don't you?"

"Who?" As if I didn't know.

"The pink one. Ty Lee."

Well. Do I?

"Yeah. I do."

Simple enough answer.

–

The Guardian.

What now?

Ty Lee starts up, finally noticing the guys hiding in the shrubbery. Spinning, she's back by my side in an instant, hands at the ready. Well, I can't fault her reaction times, anyway.

The men don't move. They're wary, shifting, but they've stayed in place.

I won't draw. Not until one of them twitches.

–

The Assassin.

I sighed.

"It's just... I've screwed things up pretty nicely, pretty much all over. Everywhere but the war, really. So I'm trying to make things right."

"And you think this will do the trick?"

"It's a start."

The door opened. We got up. We went inside the council room. We sat down.

The Earth King cleared his throat, genteel.

"We have reached a decision. Hopefully it is one that everyone can work with." His tone changed, as he reached for a blank scroll and began to write, dictating as he went. "By decree of the Earth King, the two Fire Nation exiles known as..." he trailed off, twirling the brush slowly between his fingers, and glanced up. "Known as?"

"Mai and Ty Lee," I supplied.

"Thank you. Mai and Ty Lee, shall be allowed free movement of the Upper and Middle rings. They shall not go within one hundred paces of the Palace grounds, and shall go nowhere alone. For the period of one month, they are to be accompanied by either the Avatar or one of his companions at all times. It is to be noted that this does _not_ include Prince Zuko and Former Crown Prince Iroh of the Fire Nation."

"But-"

I grabbed Aang's shoulder, and shook my head. This is going to be annoying, it's true. It's going to be a phenomenal waste of time, but it's going to be what it takes to keep the Five happy. And we're not going to get a better deal.

After a moment, he nodded, and exhaled.

"May I continue? Thank you. Where was I? Oh yes. If, after a period of one month, there has been no cause to doubt their sincerity, then these terms will be re-negotiated. I hereby declare this legal binding, and affix it with the seal of the Earth King." Wax and his ring were applied to the document, and he placed it aside, where General How took it.

"I, General How, senior General of the Council of Five, witness this and declare it legal an binding." He placed his seal to the document, and passed it on, and one by one, each member of the Five stamped the document.

"Now, before we move on to the other item of business, a word of warning to you both." The Earth King leant forward. "People won't be happy about this. General Iroh and the Prince have stretched people's tolerance merely by being here, but it was known that it was in no small part through their efforts that Princess Azula's coup was thwarted. "These two are your responsibility. If they cause any trouble, it'll be on your head."

I had to speak up. "They won't be a problem, your Highness. I can vouch for them both."

"Good. Now, on to the next order of business. We have decided, in light of the fact that we will be mounting a fresh assault on the seventh- yes, we received word of the eclipse, and I am assured that that has been taken fully into account- that you should be given some material authority. While being the Avatar or the Avatar's companion should be all the authority you would need, it never hurts to have a title to back it up."

Ooh, I like the sound of this.

"Therefore," he flourished a scroll "Avatar, I am offering you the position of Honorary Major of the Earth Kingdom Armed Forces. Your companions shall each be given the honorary rank of Captain."

Oh, _awesome_.

"Well, uh, thanks, your Majesty." Aang looked kind of flummoxed.

"Any chance we could have that in writing?"

Written proof is always handy.

–

The Guardian.

Okay, they're just standing there, not actually doing anything. So what we're going to do, is we're going to back slowly into the house. Via the window. Okay. I'm going to start walking backwards now.

The door slammed and there were running footsteps. I automatically span to meet this new threat.

And suddenly there was a crack.

Ow.

Ow.

Ow.

_Bitch_.

–

The Assassin.

I was feeling in a fairly good mood as we headed back to the house. Things had settled down fairly quickly, and I could concentrate on getting back in shape for the assault. Two weeks should be enough time, right?

Aang seemed a little down, though.

"You alright?"

He looked up. "Hmm? Oh, well, I'm just thinking. It seems... _wrong_, somehow, that I've basically joined the Earth Kingdom army. I know I'm basically winging this Avatar stuff, but I'm pretty sure that you're not supposed to do that."

I shrugged. "Don't look at it as having joined the army. I mean, you haven't been given any troops or anything, it's just that you get to boss Earth Kingdom soldiers around now, and they have to listen to you."

"Huh. I guess so."

We made it back to the house in good time, and dismissed the bored-looking guards outside with our new-found authority and impressive pieces of paper. I was looking forward to breakfast.

The house was empty.

"Okay? Where's everyone gone?"

Suddenly, I heard voices outside, in the garden.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Why is Katara apologising? Who is she apologising to? Why does she sound so frantic?

"You _bitch_! You broke my hand! Hey, what the- get away from me!"

_Mai_?

Aang and I shared a glance, before rushing outside. I almost tripped over Toph.

A quick glance told me a lot. Mai was cradling her hand, swearing quite loudly. Ty was to her left, trying to get her to calm down. There was a trail of water on the floor between Mai and Katara, who was raising her hands in supplication. Toph was stoic.

To my left, I could see several Palace Guards, pretending they weren't there.

"Aang, could you deal with the guards, please?" He complied. "Thanks. Everyone else? _SHUT UP._ Thank you. Right. Toph, you're not hysterical, please tell me what is going on."

She shrugged. "I have no idea."

"Oh."

Okay then.

"Anyone else?"

"Your crazy sister attacked me! Look! You can see the bone!"

"Mai, please stop waving your hand around. It'll only damage it. Katara, did you attack her?"

"Well she was waving a knife around! What was I _supposed_ to think?"

I sigh. "Okay. And why you were wav- no. Fuck it. I don't care. Katara, can you heal her finger?"

"Sure."

"Good. Mai, stop grumbling. Don't think I can't hear you, and my parents were happily married, thank you. Now, we're all going to go inside, and once Mai is healed up, we're all going to have a nice chat. Now, I'm going to go over to the Jasmine Dragon, and I'm going to get General Iroh and Zuko, and we'll all have a nice cup of tea. Is that clear, children?"

A reluctant chorus of yesses floated back at me.

"Wonderful."

* * *

**Politicses. Send these troopseses only.  
**


	39. Reaching Out

**Chapter Thirty-Nine: Reaching Out.**

–

The Guardian.

"Ow."

"Stop moving."

"Ow."

"If you'll just hold still, this will go a lot faster."

"Hmph."

"...Okay, there we go. Now, if you'll just hold this down with your thumb... thank you. Okay, keep that bandage on until I finish up next week."

"Whatever."

"I'll have to wait a week so it'll heal up a bit on its own. If it hurts before then, let me know, okay?"

"It hurts."

"I mean more than it does now. I'm sorry, but I can't heal it all up at once."

"Whatever."

–

"Are you alright?" Ty Lee looked up from her seat at the table, opposite the Avatar. I nodded.

"That's good." She turned back to the bald kid, with an air of continuing an earlier conversation. "So... why were you wondering what my grandparents were called anyway?"

He shrugged, unconvincingly. "Just wondered, that's all."

That's not actually the sort of thing one normally wonders about. And the Avatar is a truly awful liar. Maybe it's part of the whole Avatar package. Godlike powers, living bridge to the Spirits, but to keep you on the straight and narrow, we're going to make sure you are completely incapable of telling a believable fib.

I wonder, are there any records of an Avatar going off the rails? I mean, everyone knows what the Fire Nation propaganda mills have to say about Roku, but that's hardly admissible.

Kind of a worrying thought, now I ...think about it.

Suddenly, the door opens, interrupting my musings, and three people enter. Sokka, still pouting from his hissy fit earlier, General Iroh, serene as ever, and Zuko.

Zuko looks better than when I last saw him. Back when we last met, he had been pale, and slightly sickly. Now... now he looks, apart from being physically better, somehow... different. He looks indefinably well, in any case.

It's... good to see him like that. Somehow. It makes me feel better.

Although his hair is getting shaggy. It looks like it could use a comb.

"Mai?" He looks very surprised to see me. I guess no one told him I was here.

"Hey, Zuko."

"Alright, everyone here? Yes, good. Alright, let's sit down then, I guess." Sokka, taking charge whether anyone wants him to or not and interrupting conversations since... since... about a month ago, when I was forced to get to know him.

Nevertheless, we sat. Tea was provided. I was careful to use my left hand.

...Why did she have to break two fingers on my _right_ hand? I can already see that being really annoying.

"Okay, here's the deal," he began. "This morning, Aang and I were summoned to see the Council of Five and the Earth King." He paused. "Well, _Aang_ was summoned, anyway. I just came with him. Anyway, when we arrived, they got all annoyed because we hadn't told them that we were having guests. This was the reason the house was surrounded earlier."

So I wasn't entirely incorrect when I surmised that the earthbenders were a threat. It's nice to be vindicated, at least a little.

"Anyway, after Aang shouted at them for a while-"

More than one head turned to look at the Avatar, who shied away.

"I didn't shout at them _that_ much."

"You shouted just as much as was needed. Anyway, they conceded that it might be impolite to introduce our new guests to the inside of a prison cell."

That sounds good.

"However, there were certain... conditions attached. They are as follows." He pulled out a scroll, and cleared his throat. "'Mai and Ty Lee are to be given free access to the Upper and Middle rings.' I guess they don't want you poking around the slums, for whatever reason."

What a shame. I did so want to get mugged during my stay here. However long that ends up being.

"'They shall not go within one hundred paces of the Palace grounds' for obvious reasons"

Damn. Looks like I'm not going to be finishing that book any time soon.

"'and shall go nowhere alone.' This is the annoying bit, I'm afraid. 'For the period of one month, they are to be accompanied by either the Avatar or one of his companions at all times.'"

Well, that doesn't sound _too_-

"'It is to be noted that this does _not_ include Prince Zuko and Former Crown Prince Iroh of the Fire Nation.'"

_Bugger_.

Sokka cleared his throat.

The Assassin.

I glared at the room at large, and Mai and my sister in particular. No one looked particularly cowed, unfortunately.

"Now, I had assumed that we would all be able to get along without any kind of incidents. Especially not the kind of incidents that could get one or more of us hauled up in front of the Five. Certainly not the kind of incidents that leave anyone injured for long periods of time. Maybe I'm being overoptimistic, I don't know. Now, I'm not asking for everyone to suddenly become the best of friends, because I know I'm not going to get it. But I am asking for everyone to try and be civil. Since we're all going to be in one another's company for the next month. Can we do that?"

Toph waved from her position on the floor.

"Sure thing, boss."

I can't tell if she's being sarcastic or not. I think we have too many people around who enjoy lying to each other for no good reason. Even if I'm one of them.

"Thank you, Toph."

"Um."

I looked up.

"Yes, Zuko?" I wouldn't have thought _you'd _have a problem with this.

"You said a month, right?"

"Yeah. Is that a problem?"

"Well... what about the invasion? It's in two weeks."

The Guardian.

Sokka folds at the waist, eyes wide open, and there's a low groan as his head plummets towards the table. It's really quite majestic. A good 'whump' of contact, too.

I do like onomatopoeia. Especially the more elaborate ones.

–

With this new problem in Sokka's world, he rushed off in great haste to the palace. Leaving the rest of us to... mooch around, I guess.

Ty Lee was giving me very unsubtle looks. Yes, I know Zuko is in the room. Yes, I know. I know. What do you expect me to do about it? Proposition him right here and now? I somehow doubt that's how it works.

Nevertheless, it can't hurt to talk to him. Currently, he's sitting at the table, looking remarkably comfortable in the company of the waterbender and the earthbender. One of them told a joke I couldn't hear, and Zuko's face split into that enormously goofy grin of his.

I suddenly felt very nervous. I seemed like an outsider here. Which was ridiculous, seeing as I had known Zuko far longer than either of these two. But that just made the feeling more disconcerting.

But this Zuko wasn't the same Zuko he had been before he had been banished, and _certainly_ wasn't the one I had met briefly while on the road. He seemed... older, but also younger. Does that make any sense? No. No it doesn't. It's a direct contradiction. Typical Zuko. Always declines the opportunity to make any sense.

But there was no space for me here, figuratively or literally.

Okay, Mai. Stop drowning in moronic imagery now, please.

–

The Assassin.

"I'm sorry, but do you have an appointment?"

I slapped my forehead.

"Look, I've told you people four times now. No. I do not have an appointment. But I need to see the Earth King. You _do_ know who I represent, right?"

"Of course, sir. Is your reason for requesting an audience urgent?"

Here I made the fatal mistake.

"Well... sort of. I need to see him today, at least."

Damn my new-found honesty.

"Well, just take a seat in the foyer, and I'll see what I can do."

I'm beginning to miss Joo Dee.

–

The Guardian.

General Iroh unexpectedly came to my aid.

"Excuse me? Miss Katara?"

Oh, so that's her name. Whatever.

"Appa is making a noise. If you would come into the garden, you might hear it better, but I think he is hungry."

"Oh?" The waterbender stood up, and excused herself, leaving the other two to shift, re-accommodating themselves to the extra space. The earthbender slipped lower, her feet hitting the floor.

All of a sudden she glanced my way, and a glance of confusion headed straight for me, to be quickly obliterated by an unpleasantly sly look.

No pre-teen girl should ever look that much like a shark. If she's thirteen, it's acceptable. Otherwise, no way.

"I'll just leave you two alone."

Was that really necessary? Nevertheless, I sat down opposite Zuko.

"Hi."

Bluuuuuurg. Mai make conversation real good.

"Mai. I was told you were here, but I wasn't sure I believed it."

I rolled my eyes. Refuge in sarcasm.

"Nice to see you, too."

He clearly didn't pick up on the sarcasm, because his eyes just bugged out.

"No, I mean, I'm really pleased to see you, it's just... what _happened_?"

"Long story."

He looked around.

"Doesn't look like there's anything going on at the moment."

I don't want to go in to this. The thought of telling Zuko I got myself locked up on death row because I wanted to make sure he was safe is... uncomfortable. Very, very uncomfortable.

But he wants an answer. So I'll give him one.

"Your sister... has kind of gone off the rails." True enough. "I did something to annoy her, went behind her back. She didn't react well to it."

Zuko has turned to glaring at the table. It's practically smouldering.

"Azula... what's happened to her?"

Way to kill whatever mood there may or may not have been, Mai.

"Ty Lee probably knows more than I do, but I've heard rumours. Uncle passed them along to me. Apparently she hardly ever leaves the palace any more. She's been firing servants left and right. Some said they heard screaming in the middle of the night."

I've gone too far. Damnit, Mai, that last one was too much for him. He's just kind of... wilted.

In a fit of daring, I lay a hand on his shoulder. He's very warm, and smooth.

I notice how long my nails have gotten. My hand looks like a claw.

"I'm sorry, Zuko. I didn't want to-"

He pulls his left hand up, placing it over mine. I fight to avoid flinching, and try to wrestle my heartbeat down to normal.

(I hear, or possibly imagine, a high-pitched snicker coming from over on the other side of the room.)

"Mai." He looks at me, and all of a sudden I remember exactly why I went to all the trouble I did for this guy. "Don't. Really. I needed to know." He sounds so _old _again. Maybe it's the way his voice scratches.

"I am sorry, though." I really am. I can't say I can empathise, but it must suck to have a sibling go crazy on you.

"I know. Thanks."

Abruptly, he stands up.

"I need to talk to Ty Lee."

"Zuko-"

He shakes his head.

"I need to know, Mai. You can't shelter me from that."

I let him go. Didn't say a word as he tapped Ty Lee on the shoulder, interrupting her conversation with the Avatar, and followed her into the garden.

Ugh.

* * *

**Ugh. My muse utterly deserted me when it came to starting this chapter. And lo, plot was reiterated, dialogue was quoted, and Sokka was useless.**

**Also, alternate character interpretation alert. Or, rather, alternate relationship interpretation. Since this story was plotted before I actually saw any of season three (at the time of writing, I have only seen up to The Beach, although I have been throughly spoilered as far as the big events go) my vision of Maiko, or, at least, how Maiko gets off the ground, was... kind of different to on the show. I mean, I liked the show's version (totally out of left field, which made me laugh), but mine is more... um... angsty. Sort of.**

**And Zuko is not, and never will be, badass. Sorry, this has nothing to do with the story, but I was perusing aome otherwise well-written Zutara, and this ticked me off. Zuko is not badass. He _thinks_ he's badass, he _wants_ to be badass, but in reality he has only two settings- Overly Melodramatic, and Adorably Dorky. As seen above.  
**


	40. One Who is Coughed Upon

**Chapter Forty: One Who is Coughed Upon.**

–

The Assassin.

I was on my knees, as was customary when making a supplication to royalty. I don't think it was helping my case any.

At least the Five weren't around this time to suggest we execute them, or something.

The King sighed, and removed his glasses, polishing them on his sleeve.

"Listen, Sokka, I understand where you are coming from. Really, I do. However, you have to understand that we simply _cannot_ leave them unsupervised in the city when the push begins. And, if they are as dangerous as I have been led to believe, we cannot spare the men necessary to look after them once the armies begin to move, either."

I tried, one last time. "They won't cause any trouble. All they want is to be left alone."

"I'm sorry, Sokka, but I've made a mess of things for too long by trusting that other people have good intentions."

I guess I can't argue with that.

"So you have to make a choice. We can't keep them in the city when you leave, so either they go with you, or they stay in the cells until you come back. We can make things comfortable for them, but we can't let them roam around. I'm sorry."

Great.

–

The Guardian.

I was brooding in the corner, and in doing so minimising the risk that anyone would attempt to engage me in conversation.

I was aware that I was making the air very comfortable in this room. Everyone was very deliberately not looking at me, and talking slightly louder than they really needed to. It was only a matter of time before one of them cracked and said something along the lines of 'so, how about this weather we're having, huh?'

My money was on the Avatar.

I was very wary, still. After all, I was alone with three master (I assumed that the girls were masters, anyway. They were teaching the Avatar, after all) benders, all of which had been my enemies until very recently.

They hadn't taken my knives away, and the new clothes I was wearing did not have loose sleeves, so I was wearing my wrist launchers on the outside. That might have helped in the dissuading conversation stakes.

Suddenly, Sokka slouched through the door. He ignored my carefully cultivated aura of leave-me-the-fuck-alone and plonked down opposite me.

"Mai. I just got back from talking to the Earth King."

I raised an eyebrow. "It only took you five hours."

"He was busy."

Ah.

"Anyway, it's not exactly good news, I'm afraid. He's not changing the agreement."

But that means...

"So we have to go with you when you start gallivanting across the Earth Kingdom, almost getting killed?"

"Either that or sit in a cell until we get back. Apparently it'll be a nicely furnished cell."

"If you get back at all."

He sighed. "Yes. If we get back."

Hmm. Two utterly unattractive prospects.

"Okay. Message received. Rest assured I will think about it." Bugger off.

For a horrible second, it looked like he was going to continue the conversation. I understood the choice he had presented me with. It was just that, at the moment, I didn't want anything to do with it. I have had _enough_ of difficult choices and thinking about the future. Just for a little while, I want to completely ignore everything like that, and think about nothing. Or perhaps take a leaf out of Ty Lee's book, and go consider the roses. I think I deserve a little procrastination.

"...Okay. Is Ty about?"

"The garden. But-"

He'd already gone. Oh well.

–

The Assassin.

She's sitting on a stone bench, next to Zuko. Both are looking at the ground, and talking softly. Zuko's rasp abruptly cuts through the low murmurs, and they're both quiet for a moment. Then Ty's left arm reaches up, and pulls Zuko into a brief hug, before getting up and walking away.

I feel a frown growing on my face. What's that about?

She sees me, lurking in the shrubbery, and makes her way over.

"Sokka? You alright?"

"What? Yes. I'm fine. Thank you. How are you?"

She cocked her head slightly. "I'm alright, thanks. Is there... something you wanted to talk about?"

I glanced behind her. Zuko was sitting perfectly still, obviously deep in thought. I thought about back in the house, where Mai was doing her best to make everyone twitchy and uncomfortable and where concepts of privacy were abandoned as archaic and uncool. I briefly considered the Jasmine Dragon, where General Iroh had returned to, but it would be very busy at this time of day.

"Yes. But not here. How about a walk? I hear there are some nice parks in the middle ring."

She rested her chin on one hand, the picture of contemplation.

"Didn't the Earth King say something about a zoo last time we were here?"

Oh. I think I'd heard Aang mention a zoo, outside the city walls. Well, it can hardly hurt to take a look.

"Sure. Just let me grab some money and we'll take the tram."

–

She's humming lightly to herself, and staring out of the window as the city rolls by, apparently unconcerned by anything.

I wish I were the same, but my brain doesn't work like that. So, selfishly, I try to drag her down to my level.

"So, what were you talking to Zuko about?"

It works. I feel like a bastard.

"I told him about Azula."

Ah. Mai had told me about the princess, back when we were both guests of the Fire Lord.

"I see."

She sighs, and runs a hand through her hair, before returning to admire the scenery. After a while, she picks up the tune again.

–

The zoo is loud and colourful. Ty Lee is entranced.

"Sokka, look! A baby moose-lion! Isn't it _cute_!"

She drags me by the hand through the crowds, and gestures into a fenced off pit. There is, indeed, a moose-lion cub basking in the sun. I'll admit, it is fairly cute.

It's tempting to just let go and enjoy the afternoon. But that's not why I'm here.

"Ty, we need to talk." I try to inject my voice with the air of seriousness this conversation has been lacking so far.

"I know. But now?"

"Yes. Look, I-" I took a breath, and a moment to order my thoughts. "About what I did back in Ba Sing Se... I'm sorry. I let you down, and I knew I was doing it. I had reasons, good reasons, or so I thought at the time, but I should have spoken up for you. So I'm sorry."

I stood leaning against the fence, staring at the moose-lion that had emerged blinking from its cave into the sunlight. Waiting for her to say something.

It wasn't quite what I had expected.

"Okay then. I forgive you." She said this so matter-of-factly that I was almost convinced I had misheard, and turned to face her.

"What? Just like that?"

"Well, yeah. Why, would you rather I hold a grudge? Take it out on you? Ooh, perhaps I could get all melodramatic over it!" Suddenly, she pulled her fringe down, until it was covering her left eye, and spoke in a deep (well, deep_er_) growl, scowling at me with her one visible eye. "Your betrayal leaves a thousand disfiguring scars! Scars upon my _soul_! Leaves are falling, turning black and withered!! _Black and withered like my heart!!! _Oh woe, for none can know my secret pain! Unless they read my poems, which are like unto a secret outpouring of my very being! I shall recite for you my haiku of sorrow! Ahem. 'My soul is shattered/ due to a barbarian/ I am now quite sad.' There! My haiku of most perfect anguish! I hope you liked it, for it cost me much pain to write it!"

I couldn't help but laugh, and she joined in, as she flipped her hair back to its usual position.

"What was... what was with the fringe?" I asked, as I got my breath back.

She shrugged. "I don't know. It just seemed appropriate. But seriously, I know you, Sokka. I know you well enough that you didn't mean to hurt me, and if you care enough to apologise, then that's good enough for me. Just don't do it again, 'kay? 'Cause I can and will paralyse your legs."

I blinked, and in that moment, Ty managed to pull off a back flip, ending in her doing a handstand on the railing of the moose-lion pit. And she managed to keep eye contact with me.

"You," I said, folding my arms, "have got to be the strangest person I have ever known."

"Why thank you!" she replied. Of course.

"But I think you're giving the guard over there a heart attack. Maybe doing stunts over the dangerous animal cage isn't the smartest thing you could ever do."

"Oh!" She somersaulted down, back to the world of the bipedal, and waved at the elderly curator, who had gone white with shock. "Sorry."

We walked on, examining the different exhibits. I got us some drinks- a kind of papaya and mango juice combination- and a bag of dried fruits, which we shared. It was, all in all, an extremely pleasant day. So much so, in fact, that I almost forgot exactly why we had come in the first place.

Almost.

"Ty."

"Hmm?" She looked up from the armadillo-lion exhibit.

"I almost forgot, but there is something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"Okay."

"I talked to the Earth King earlier today, and he won't change the agreement. So you're going to have to make a choice soon, either to come with us when the push begins, or stay here, locked in an apparently very nicely furnished cell."

"Hmm." She folded her arms in mock contemplation. "Leave this city and see the world in the fresh air, grand adventure and the open road, or sit in a very small room with a very grumpy Mai and a lot of books for company. I can see this is gonna take some thinking about."

I frowned. "You do realise this isn't going to be fun and games, right? People will be trying to kill us."

She flipped her hair in haughty amusement. "People have been trying to kill me for _ages_. I'm a big girl, I'll be fine."

I grinned. Somehow, this had been what I had wanted to hear.

"What about Mai?"

"Well, that all depends on what Zuko's going to do."

"Well, he is, I think, going to be coming with us."

"Well, there you have it, then."

**--**

**Coffee.  
**


	41. You Don't Have to Go Home

**Chapter Forty-One: You Don't Have to Go Home (But You Can't Stay Here).**

–

The Guardian.

I had sat up listening to to Ty Lee talk for a very, very, very, very long time about her excursion to the zoo, for no good reason. I had done several other, mundane things, such as getting up very late the next morning for no better reason than because it would waste time, and spending nearly the entire day sitting in the garden staring at the roses. I had even done the washing up after lunch, to the silent shock of almost everyone present.

And none of it had worked. Not in the slightest. It's like my brain is conditioned to start tackling difficult problems at a sensible time, whether I want it to or not. This bothers me.

Nonetheless, I had thought about my choice long and hard.

I didn't want to be in a position where I was fighting against my country, particularly. I would, if it came down to it (after all, I have a lot of experience doing things I don't particularly want to do), but I would rather not. Besides, it would make a reunion with my parents _really_ awkward, and I've had enough of awkward for a while.

If I went with the Earth Kingdom forces to New Ozai, it wouldn't change anything for anyone but me. I'm far too late to do anything for my family, and the amount of influence I would have if I went to New Ozai is precisely Zero. I can't threaten anyone, because I am not sufficiently threatening.

As galling as the realisation is, I have to trust these people.

I already know what Ty Lee is going to do. She didn't tell me, but it was fairly obvious. And this isn't an arena where she needs protecting. Physically, I can't think of a scenario that she couldn't either win or escape from. Well, the Yu Yan might give her some trouble, I suppose. So I don't need to worry about her too much.

There's only one factor left.

Now I have to find someone willing to walk me around.

–

Upon re-entering the living room, I noticed two people not obviously doing anything. The earthbender and the waterbender. Hmm.

On the one hand, I had no idea what the earthbender's name was. On the other, she had yet to attack me. Several points in her favour.

Either way, I'm going to have to... _interact_ with these people. Ugh.

Let's get on with it, then.

I sidled over to where the earthbender was sitting, looking as bored as can be. I coughed.

"Hmm?"

"You're not doing anything."

"That's true, I guess."

"I need to go to the Jasmine Dragon," I told her, and instantly regretted it. Her features became insufferably smirky.

"Oh?"

"And I'm not allowed outside unless I'm on a leash, in case I come down with a bad case of deciding it might be fun to use random passers-by as target practice."

"Oh yeah. So you are. N't."

"So..." Is she dim, or just annoying me?

"So... sucks to be you?"

"Yes, but that's beside the point." I pinched the bridge of my nose. "What I am trying to convey is that there are two sets of facts and problems, namely a: I wish to go somewhere and I need supervision, and b: you are currently doing nothing and are able to provide that supervision. I hypothesise that facts a and b can be used as solutions to problems b and a, and indeed they _should_. Would you deign to test this hypothesis with me?"

"Okay, I guess."

"Wonderful."

–

The Jasmine Dragon was busy. I saw Zuko dashing back and forwards, arms full of china. It was strange to think he still kept that job, but it was... amusingly domestic.

Plus, I did like the apron.

I took a place at one of the smaller tables by the wall, and the earthbender plonked down opposite me. Well, sort of opposite. It was a little bit to my left, actually.

Anyway.

Neither of us had money, and Zuko was kept too busy to come over. Actually, I don't think he knew we were there at all.

So I was sat there, waiting for the Jasmine Dragon to close. Good thing I have long since become inured to boredom.

"So, what did you want to come here for?"

My chaperone is clearly not so patient.

"I don't recall conversation being included in this arrangement."

She simply shrugged. "I thought it was implied. After all, you identified my problem as me having nothing to do, and said you thought that if I escorted you here, then that problem would be solved. Instead, here I am doing nothing, but in a different place."

Hah. You didn't listen to me hard enough. "I said I thought it might. Maybe I was wrong."

"Well, maybe. Maybe I'll just stay here, then. Maybe I'll just eavesdrop on you while you have your conversation with Zuko."

Okay. It's bluff time.

"What makes you think I'm here to talk to Zuko?"

Weeeeeak.

"Um, the fact that I'm not utterly stupid, maybe? I'm sure whatever you're planning to talk to him about is going to be more interesting than me just sitting around."

"You wouldn't."

She leant back, smirking. "Wouldn't I? It's practically my duty to make sure you two aren't planning a coup or something. It would be pretty irresponsible of me to just leave you be, wouldn't it?"

I know when I'm beaten.

"Alright, what do you want to talk about?"

That one kind of stumped her.

"I dunno. Something."

"Cabbages. I can't stand the things."

"Oh?"

"No."

–

The Assassin.

I was looking at a map of the Earth Kingdom. It was my third so far.

Man, I _really_ need to come up with a less permanent way of writing on things than with ink and a brush. The instant I change my mind about something, boom, need a new map.

Anyway, I was sitting in my room, the map spread on the floor. And I was faced with a conundrum.

I was returning to an idea I had had some time ago, and disregarded. But in retrospect it hadn't been that bad an idea after all. Of course, it needed tweaking, but I was working on that.

It was a nice afternoon, actually. Aang was off practising his waterbending with Katara, I think, Mai was... somewhere, as was Toph (I assumed they were off together) and Zuko and General Iroh were back at their tea shop.

Ty Lee was being very distracting. By which I mean she was in the garden, practising her stretching.

Maybe I should sit with my back to the window.

I'll survive.

Anyway. Maps. Yes.

Right. I'm working on the assumption that Mai will, in fact, want to come with us, if only to head to Omashu as quickly as possible. This is fairly sensible- after all, if we hold Omashu by the time of the comet, that will be three strongholds for the Fire Nation the target, and I somehow doubt they'll manage to conquer them all. But at the same time, we don't want to be cut off from Ba Sing Se.

So what do we do?

Split the party. It's the only way. After Gaoling, we'll divide into two groups. Aang, Mai and a couple of others (possibly Zuko?) will take the bison and fly towards Omashu, stopping at specific points where they will be needed. Meanwhile, the second party, consisting of myself and whoever else is left, will take the overland route, arriving some weeks later.

Okay. That's simple enough. Now to-

...

No! Stop looking out the window, Sokka. Work. Draw arrows all over this map.

Bluurg. Okay, now what route should the two groups take? Maybe I should present the idea to the Five, so I can adapt it based on what route the armies are taking.

Without thinking, my arm twitched, and the brush slipped from my fingers, leaving a long streak right across the page.

It's enough to make me want to cry. Fumbling, I grabbed the map before the ink could spread, and tossed it aside, knocking over a (thankfully unlit) candle.

Damnit. When did I become so clumsy? I'm not normally this bad. I mean, it's not like I missed...

Oh. I _did_ miss lunch. That must be why.

I picked up the candle, and looked around for somewhere to put it. As I did, some of the ink from my fingers rubbed off onto the wax, staining it.

…

Hang on.

I think I have an idea.

–

The Guardian.

"No, I don't think so. Elocution was _definitely_ worse than posture."

The earthbender scoffed. "Posture was _easy_."

"Only because you've got such a low centre of balance."

"Are you calling me _short_?"

"...You _are_ short. I think it's time you faced that fact."

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, worst thing for me was when they started trying to teach me to perform the tea ceremony."

I'd heard about that. It was an Earth Kingdom thing, and ridiculous sounding.

"We don't go in for that sort of thing in the Fire Nation. Really, the only ceremony about tea goes something along the lines of 'Would You Like a Cup of Tea? Alright, I Shall Put the Kettle on.'"

"You're very lucky. Anyway, I got out of it by pretending I couldn't see anything."

"... You _can't_-"

"I know."

"I get the feeling I'm missing something here."

–

The Assassin.

"...Sokka? What're you doing? Are you...cooking?"

I looked up from the pot. Aang was in the doorway, with Katara peering over his shoulder.

"Oh, hey guys. Have fun?"

They shared slightly nervous glances.

"I... guess?"

"Good, that's good. Could you pass that ladle?"

Bemused, he nevertheless walked over and handed me a ladle, which I dipped in the bubbling black concoction.

"What _is _that stuff?" Katara asked, politely horrified.

"Wax and black ink."

"Okay? Why? What?"

I sighed. "It's an experiment." That said, I pulled over the board I was using as a mould. I had carved several thin trenches into the wood, and I hoped that would suffice. It would for now, anyway.

Taking care, I scooped out a ladle of dyed wax, and carefully poured it into one of the grooves, using a knife to scrape aside the excess.

Now all I had to do was wait for that to set.

Or...

"Katara? Could you give me a hand here?"

–

The Guardian.

The last stragglers left the tea shop, leaving us lurking by the wall. Abruptly, Zuko noticed us.

"Mai! Toph!"

So that's her name. Another point to me.

"Hey, Zook." He twitched amusingly at the abbreviation. "Just dropping off your... friend here. I'll be outside."

While I am thankful, I wish she didn't sound so smirky when referring to me as a friend of Zuko's.

"Okay." As Toph walked out the door, Zuko collapsed into the vacated chair. After a moment, he looked up at me.

"So, what's on your mind?"

What a question.

"Got a week?"

He did the whole 'not quite a laugh' thing you do when you want to indicate that what the other person said is quite funny but not funny enough for you to laugh out loud. It was a start.

"But right now? I want to ask you what you're doing when the eclipse comes."

The last factor.

He stared at me, gaze surprisingly even.

"I'm going to fight. I'm going to help the Avatar end this war any way I can."

And that's all I need to know.

It's not all I _want_ to know, though.

"_Why_? Zuko, I – I'm not sure I really understand."

He sighed, and clasped his hands together.

"Mai- I've done a lot of thinking. And I finally realised how _sick_ my family actually is." He snorted, bitterly. "In fact, 'family' seems like the wrong word to use for us. It's just... Dad's _wrong_. He's only interested in being the Fire Lord that finally conquers the world, and he doesn't care about how much gets destroyed before he gets that. And that's not something I can pretend to agree with any more."

Sounds like someone came down with a bad case of Morality.

"Do you know what Ty Lee told me?" He suddenly looked up, and I shook my head.

"She told me about Azula. Apparently Father wasn't pleased with the fact that she failed to take over Ba Sing Se. He had her training every minute of the day. Eventually he stopped letting Ty Lee see her any more, said it was an unnecessary distraction. That's what he's like, everything's a weapon to him, one more thing to be used in his grand scheme to conquer the world. And Azula's cracking because of it." His chest sank and rose in shallow breaths, and his eye narrowed, his jaw set.

"I see." I broke his concentration before he set something on fire.

"So what will _you_ do?"

"Zuko," I said, shaking my head, "if you think I'm going to let you charge off into the world and leave me behind, you're a very stupid boy indeed."

* * *

**The first idea for this chapter was all SRSBIZNS. Then Sokka invented the crayon.**


	42. The OstrichHorse That Threw You

**Chapter Forty-Two: The Ostrich-Horse That Threw You.**

–

The Guardian.

I breathe in.

I wheel left, my newly-healed hand almost brushing the dirt, while my left leg flicks out and I twitch my foot, sending a flurry of darts into one target. As I right myself in a pirouette, a flower of knives drops into my hand, and I throw it sideways, the force unlocking it as it goes. Without a pause, my left hand is raised, palm flat, and my finger twitches, sending another volley of darts towards the training dummies.

And I breathe out.

Okay, let's see how that went, then.

I head for the dummies, noting where the darts and knives have landed, and retrieve all my knives and all the unbroken darts. It's useful to see where everything landed in relation to where I meant for it to go.

In a word?

Awful.

In a single example that encapsulates my entire performance with regards to throwing things?

I threw my flower of knives. These are made up of four small knives that split apart. With care, I can either hit one person four times, or (depending on how close together they are standing) two people twice. I had thrown this device at two dummies that were placed close together for this very purpose.

I _missed_. Only _one_ knife was on target, and it only hit the dummy in the arm. That wouldn't even _incapacitate_ a properly trained fighter.

Oh, I _hate_ being out of shape. I've only got a week to get ready, too.

–

The Assassin.

I had a headache, and was lying on the sofa. The last couple of days had been tiring. Training had been interspersed with meetings with the Five for Aang and myself, so whenever my body was exhausted I could take a few hours to exhaust my brain instead. Yay.

But still, progress was being made on all fronts. There were, as ever, areas of the plan that would be a little awkward to sell to everyone, but this time, at least, Aang was properly on side.

Speaking of Aang, he was due to arrive back some time soon. He had spent the day in one of the training areas with Zuko- General Iroh had decided that Aang had progressed far enough in his firebending to no longer need constant supervision from him, and besides, he needed to mind his tea shop. I think he had hired some more waiters, too. But sundown was approaching, and it would be time to return home soon.

Mai and Toph were training as well, I believed, and I had spent the day finalising the plan with the Five, and apologising for the Avatar's absence. Therefore, Katara and Ty Lee had been left in each other's company.

I had come back to a very tense house. Katara hadn't looked up from the dishes when I got in, and Ty had looked up and had been about to say something, but a glance at Katara's angry shoulders dissuaded her.

I think they argued. It bothers me.

But I have so many other things to worry about first.

Suddenly, Mai and Toph returned, the former looking somewhat dishevelled, and heading for the bathroom without a word.

"So, what's for dinner?" Toph asked, polite as ever.

I could see Katara's facial twitch from _behind _her.

"_Well_," she said, with a kind of horrifying cheer, "since Sokka covered all our pots in black _goo_"

"In the interests of science" I interjected, possibly unwisely, but someone has to stand up for the pioneering human spirit.

Her eyelid twitched, but she continued.

"Then we have uncookable rice, uncookable pasta, uncookable vegetables, and meat. And some black goo."

I looked up.

"I don't see what the problem is."

–

The Guardian.

I glanced up from my bath when the waterbender started shouting.

I was _really_ starting to dislike her, and not just because her little temper tantrum was upsetting my bathwater.

–

The Assassin.

"and _another _thing-"

She'd been at it for ten minutes when the door abruptly opened. Aang was back. And, as befitted the ordained saviour of the world, this situation was well within his capacity to find a solution.

"Why don't we just go out to dinner?"

Katara paused, one finger readied for dramatic pointing, and her mouth opened.

"...We can do that?"

–

The Guardian.

"Mai, you ready yet? I'm hungry."

Sokka was talking through the door, despite my repeated hints that such an action could well leave him unable to produce offspring.

My hair needs cutting, quite urgently. My fringe has grown to where it covers my eyes if I shake my head too hard, and it's trailing away down my back.

Needless to say, running a comb through it is an exercise in masochism.

"Give me a ..._minute_. Ow."

Okay, I'm ready now. Let's go.

–

The Assassin.

The dinner was, on the whole, pretty unmemorable. The food was good, the service was appalling, and the ambience was quiet and tranquil. Aang and I talked for a little while about the minutia of the plan while the others were talking about something else, and we decided that we should fill everyone in the next day. No sense in putting it off now it's finalised.

The rest of the evening was spent in some quiet conversation, which left me feeling fairly mellowed out. It seemed like everyone was starting to get along just a little bit more, although that might have been the rice wine talking.

–

The Guardian.

The dinner was, on the surface, pretty unmemorable. There was passable food, the world's laziest waiters, and a total lack of atmosphere. So far,so typical.

What made this dinner amusing was the conversations taking place. Not the conversations themselves, they were fairly trivial- although before the food arrived the Avatar and Sokka had been muttering to each other and glancing suspiciously around at the other patrons- but the fact that they showed up all the little politics of the group.

For example, Sokka (who, I noted with a little disquiet, was drinking more than would strictly be considered social) would talk freely with anyone around the table, but whenever he started talking to Ty Lee, either the waterbender or Toph would attempt to interject as soon as it could just barely be considered socially acceptable. Ty Lee would then frown slightly, and then start a conversation with me (or try to, anyway). If I didn't have anything to say, then she would start chatting to the Avatar, who would respond courteously and then would follow a polite conversation, which the waterbender would wreck as soon as she got around to it. Meanwhile, Toph would then start talking to Sokka about whatever, followed by him eventually running out of things to say to her, and soon enough talking to Ty Lee, just as soon as the waterbender got around to interrupting her conversation with the Avatar. And so on and so forth.

As amusing as all this was, I couldn't help but wonder how on earth this crew was supposed to be stopping the Fire Lord. I mean, they seemed entirely preoccupied with their own tiny dramas.

–

The Assassin.

I woke up feeling... prickly; like there were a billion tiny needles under my skin that were poking their way outwards. It wasn't pleasant.

But never mind. It's Plan Time.

–

The Guardian.

We had been woken up by the Avatar, and told to wait in the main room. We had been met there by Iroh and Zuko, both looking tired, and the waterbender and Toph had slouched in a few minutes later.

Well, I hope this is interesting.

Abruptly, Sokka and the Avatar entered the room, the former carrying under his arm a rolled up map, which he spread on the table. It was covered in waxy black arrows.

"Okay guys, so here it is. The Plan." The Avatar spoke with an air of determined almost reverence.

Toph broke the silence.

"Helpful."

Sokka cleared his throat. "Okay, so here's how it's going to go. First up, we're going to split into two main groups. The first will consist of as many of us as will fit on the sky bison, and the second will be everybody else. The only fixed positions so far are that Mai and Aang will be in the first group, and I will be in the second."

Well, that's sorted.

"The two groups will, essentially, be doing the same things. We'll be moving a couple of days ahead of the main armies, avoiding Fire Nation armies, and basically causing havoc. For example, we might take out the garrison of a town, meaning that either the Fire Nation has to take the time to reinforce the town, or lose it altogether. The first group will be heading directly for Omashu, while the second will be taking a more southerly route, directly south and then along the southerly coast." He pointed out the relevant points on his map. "They will then rendezvous at Omashu, probably about a month later than group A."

Seems straightforward enough, I suppose.

"But, before that, we have two objectives for the day of the comet itself." The Avatar took the floor. "The first group will be heading for Gaoling, while the second will attack Full Moon Bay."

"Oh, yeah, forgot about that. Yep, what he said."

Sokka. Public speaker extraordinnaire.

"Now, before group A hits Omashu, there's going to be a bit of a mixup. Aang?"

The Avatar nodded. "I'm going to be taking Appa and heading for a prison in the central Earth Kingdom, in the middle of a giant lake. You remember, Katara?"

The waterbender nodded silently.

"Meanwhile, the rest of Group A (hereafter labelled Group A1 in interests of clarity) will go on foot to Omashu, where they will link up with the resistance hiding out in the canyons, and lay siege. Aang mentioned something about a secret tunnel."

I froze.

_That song_.

The Assassin.

"Now, I realise that this isn't going to be easy, by a long shot. But it's the only way that we could see having a chance of working." I looked around. No one looked away. "So the only thing left to do, I guess, is work out who's going where."

Toph was the first to speak. "Which one's going to Gaoling again?"

"Group A. Didn't you look... at... oh. Sorry."

"It's fine. So I guess I'm in A, then."

I nodded, and jotted down (with my perfected super-handy Wax-Based Writing Utensil) Toph's name under the "A" column.

Ty Lee looked up. "I'm with you, Sokka."

I smiled, involuntarily. "Thanks, Ty."

"Me too," Katara added. I added them both to the "B" column.

"Okay then. Zuko? Iroh?" As if they were going to split up.

I didn't miss Mai's glance at the scarred boy, but I wasn't sure I was expecting him to glance back.

"I'll go with Aang."

And just like that, it was decided.

"Alright then. Final word of advice- you might want to practice fighting with the others in your group, just to get a feel for it. After all, we need all the practice we can get, and we've only got about five days to go."

* * *

**I really don't like writing chapters like this one. They always seem like dry infodumps.**


	43. Preparations in the Eleventh Hour

**Chapter Forty-Three: Preparations in the Eleventh Hour.**

–

The Assassin.

The blue shape scythed through the air, arcing gently back towards me, and I stepped back in an attempt to catch it.

Missed. Damnit.

My technique was sound, I know it. I remembered how to throw the thing well enough, it's just a little counter-intuitive, that's all.

But I was improving, I was sure.

Here's hoping I can get it down in the next three days.

A little way away, Mai was busy puncturing some training dummies in a... worryingly enthusiastic manner. She wasn't talking or grinning or anything, but she looked very... into it.

The Guardian.

_Ha!_

You like that, you son of a bitch training dummy?

Bam, right between the eyes, third time in a row.

Oh, one of them's got a helmet, whatever shall I do?

How about... a knife right between the eyes?

Okay, scenario changes. They're all archers now. Oh no, what to do?

Hah, you think I'm over here, do you? Well, you're _dead wrong_.

A roll, a leap, and boom, I'm over here, just what the doctor ordered.

As long as the prescription is a healthy dose of Knives, to be administered Between The Eyes.

Woo, yeah.

Oh, benders? Hah, well, let's see your spiritual connection to the very fabric of the world we live in help you when you've got, say, for the sake of example, a knife lodged somewhere between your eyes, maybe.

Oh, what's that? You want to parley? Well, I've got one word for you, bub.

_Knifebetweentheeyes_!

Awaaay!

The Assassin.

You know, Mai actually jumps around a lot when she's fighting. You'd never expect it from the way she walks around, like she's holding a grudge against the world for not inventing something that makes walking unnecessary yet.

–

The Guardian.

…

That is absolutely the _last_, the _last_ time I let General Iroh persuade me to try some of that "warrior's tea".

Well... for a while, anyway.

–

The Assassin.

Three days to go, and I'm still training. There are other things I should be doing, probably, but I just tell people I'm busy and then go beat people up with a wooden sword. It's cathartic, what can I say?

It's also, I guess, a way of saying Look, Don't Bother Me About The Plan. It's Done. Too Late To Change Anything. Finalised.

Or maybe I'm reading too deep into my own actions.

Perhaps I just want to be able to use that boomerang properly.

–

The Guardian.

"Yo, Mai."

I looked up. Toph was leaning against the wall, the very picture of three-foot high nonchalance.

"...Yeah?"

"You want to give me a hand with something?"

"...Depends. What would I have to do?"

"Could you chuck things at me?"

"Gladly. Do you think your self-esteem's too high or something? Because I could help you with that just by talking."

"My self esteem is _fine_, thank you very much."

"You sure? Or is that denial?"

"I do _not_ have self-image issues, thank you very much."

"Who said anything about your image? Self-esteem could be about more than just physical problems."

"Shut up. Anyway, I think I could stand to get some practice predicting where things are in the air."

"So... you think me throwing knives at you is going to help, somehow?"

"You could just use sticks or something. You know, so no one's in danger of dying."

"...Alright, I guess. But I get the feeling that this _isn't_ what Sokka had in mind when he suggested we practice fighting together."

"Like you listen to Sokka."

–

So there I was, flinging sticks at a blind girl. And people say that these are the good guys. Hah.

But all that aside, it was surprisingly invigorating, trying to figure out ways to disguise my throw so she'd be caught off guard.

We'd been at it for half an hour, and so far I had hit her a grand total of twice. Both times had been in the first ten minutes.

Well, I wasn't going to stand for _that_, now, was I?

If I'm going to get past her, I need more information.

"So, how exactly do you 'see', anyway?" Every third word was punctuated by a flying twig, which was effortlessly deflected. I wasn't really trying, anyway.

"Earthbending. Every time I move my feet, or something on the ground moves, I can sense vibrations from objects that lets me feel where they are. It's kind of difficult to explain," she answered, casually.

"Uh huh." So far, so unhelpful. "What about things that aren't on the ground? Like, for example, on a table?"

"Depends. If it's a solid object, then I can get by fine. Softer things tend to absorb vibrations, which means they're kind of fuzzy."

Uh huh, useful to know.

"So, you could tell if I did, for example... _this_?" I rolled left, and sprang, ending up standing on a pile of crates stacked against the wall of the courtyard.

"Well, I can see where you are just fine, but it's kind of muffled. The bottom crate's empty, you see."

"Oh, really?" Suddenly my attention was captured by an ominous creaking, and before I could move the entire pile collapsed, leaving me in not inconsiderable discomfort.

Extricating myself from the wreckage, I dusted myself off, thankful that I had avoided any nails.

"What're you smirking about? That could have happened to anybody."

Anyway, back to fact finding.

"Okay, so I get that, but surely there's got to be an upper limit to how much you can feel."

She looked thoughtful. "Well... trees can be a problem. Especially when it's windy, there's just too much movement to cleanly tell what's going on. They get very woolly in the upper branches."

Well, that would be great if there were any trees around, but there aren't.

But... I can use that. In a way. I raised one foot high off the ground, and very deliberately lost my balance, wobbling around, arms and leg flailing. At the very last second before I fell flat on my behind, I flung both my arms forward and leapt upwards, landing on my other foot.

One twig went sailing towards a very confused looking Toph. The earth fluctuated blindly, but the shot went through.

"Ow!"

"Ha," I riposted, from somewhere on the floor.

–

The Assassin.

The day before we were due to move out- three days before the eclipse- Bato arrived in the city, and appeared at our door.

He had a delivery.

"Your father wanted me to give you this. He'd be here himself, but I told him he couldn't risk missing the attack."

As I remembered it, they were going to be assaulting one of the largest Fire Nation ports in the Northern Earth Kingdom, assisted from the land by the Earth Kingdom.

He handed me two sacks, and I peered inside the first one. It seemed to be a ...dress?

I guess that's Katara's then. Unless Dad is indulging his sense of humour.

I glanced up at Bato for elaboration, but he had already gone.

–

The Guardian.

When we returned to the house, it was to a scene of great anticipation, for some reason. The Avatar and Ty Lee were sitting in the main room with an air of waiting for something. Ty Lee quickly informed us that Sokka and the waterbender had received packages of some description from their father.

Wait a minute, they're _related_?

The Avatar looked at me, amused.

"You mean you didn't know? Wow, how did _that_ one get past you?"

"I... honestly have no idea. I guess I just wasn't listening." Seriously, I'm sure I must have been introduced at some point to her, but I guess it just... slipped my mind.

You know, having met her, I do have to wonder why Sokka went to all that trouble.

...Well, that was an evil little thought, wasn't it?

–

The Assassin.

The dyed fur was snug and comfortable, although a little warm in this weather. The muted steel bracers and shin guards are well-made and unadorned. All in all, it's a good set of armour.

And I'm sitting on the floor, keeping my gaze locked with the helmet's painted eyes scowling at me.

It's jarring. So different to what I've become used to.

Oh well.

I pulled the helmet on, and adjusted it.

It fit perfectly.

–

The Guardian.

The waterbender is the first out. Now, I'm a fair person, and I can admit that however much she gets on my nerves, the change of clothes suited her. Metal forearm guards, a new waterskin, and a new dress, similar in style to her old one, but brand new and better made. I wonder where their dad got it from.

Toph grins, and prods the Avatar in the back.

"Easy there, twinkletoes. Don't want you to have a heart attack or anything."

But the Avatar's flushed protestations are all forgotten, because Sokka came out.

"Well... what do you think?"

Ty Lee was practically swooning at the image of barbaric, yet somehow elegant, masculinity. All I could think about was how much all that fur would probably smell if it got caught in the rain.

I _want_ one of those helmets, though. I'd never wear it in public, of course. I just want one.

–

The Assassin.

The last day, and I'm at the training grounds one last time. In ten minutes I'm going to set off for the ferry dock, get in a small boat with Ty Lee and Katara, and spend the next two days heading for Full Moon Bay, now taken over by the Fire Nation, and liberate it.

I hope I'm ready.

"Sokka, come on! We have to go!" Katara's voice floated over from the entrance.

"Just a second!" I shouted over my shoulder, and let fly.

The blue shape scythed through the air, arcing gently back towards me, and I stepped back in an attempt to catch it.

Ha. Gotcha.

Well, how about that?


	44. Rubicon

**Chapter Forty-Four: Rubicon.**

–

The Guardian.

Sokka and Ty Lee left yesterday. No one saw them off.

Not that I particularly care, but there is a certain way these things should be done, and it irks me when they're ignored. When a tiny group is going off to war, then convention dictates that their remaining acquaintances must stand on the dock and see them off. Instead, they had briefly said goodbye at the house, with Sokka once more reiterating his plan, to the annoyance of all, and then departed. Do none of these people have a sense of style?

However, (since, as I have said before, I am a fair person, and give credit where credit is due) the waterbender knew what she was doing at least. The kiss-and-run was _classic_, in all the best traditions of dramatic storytelling.

–

The Assassin.

We were making our way to Full Moon Bay (and the name of the bay amused me, given the circumstances. It wasn't the sort of thing I'd say out loud- it wasn't interesting enough- but it entertained me slightly) in a small sail boat of Earth Kingdom design. I believe they called it a Junk. Seemed a little derogatory, but there you go.

Anyway, this thing was equipped with a stiff sail, so Katara didn't have to waterbend us the entire way, but the wind was against us today, so for now, Katara was providing the power.

She was standing at the stern of the boat, a kind of faraway look on her face. Three guesses what _that'_s all about.

No one has mentioned that yet- in fact, no one has spoken much at all so far- but I'm a little torn.

On the one hand, it does seem like the kind of thing a big brother should be at least a little concerned about. I mean, that's practically built in.

But there's a lot on the other hand. For starters, it's _Aang_, and he's about as safe in this situation as you're going to _get_. At least for now, anyway. He's a kid in a lot of ways. The most mature kid I have ever met, sure (usually, at least whenever that damn lemur isn't around), but he's definitely still a kid.

And secondly...

I glance at her almost on reflex.

She can make her own decisions. She's had to for long enough, in any case. She doesn't need my input, and definitely wouldn't appreciate it.

She's become a wonderful person, strong and caring (to the point where she can be _really _scary). I can't pretend to have had anything to do with that. Everything she's done so far (and it really has been incredible, essentially carrying the Avatar for the better part of four months, earning great acclaim as a hero in the Siege of the North, and teaching the Avatar waterbending) has been on her own, self sufficient.

She doesn't need me.

So I guess I'll stay out of it, then. Gives me more time to concentrate on things I should be doing.

–

The Guardian.

It's time to go. Zuko and Iroh met us at the house, as we were loading our supplies onto the flying cow.

I had initially been confused as to why exactly General Iroh was going with us, as opposed to any of the main armies, but Sokka had explained to me that he was going to be 'advising' the leader of the Omashu Resistance when we met up with them. The reasoning there was that he was a general of the calibre that could take Omashu (although he has infamously had trouble with sieges before, no one thought it polite to point this out), and if he did turn traitor, then the main armies would only be a couple of weeks behind him, so that damage could be minimised.

I guess that makes sense, as far as it goes.

"Mai! Good morning." Zuko greeted me first. Yay?

"Hi, Zuko."

"You cut your hair."

My hand twitched as I very deliberately squashed the urge to self-consciously run my fingers through my hair.

"Well, I didn't cut it, but I had it cut, yes."

"Oh. I kind of liked the ponytail."

Oh, _now_ he tells me.

I must have glared, because he suddenly back-pedalled with incredible speed.

"I mean, not that it doesn't look good _now_, but, it's just that I liked the other look _too_, um, I'm... just... going to put these bags on Appa now, okay?"

He scuttled off without a word.

Well, that little encounter was good for the self-esteem.

–

Dom de dom de dom de dom de dom de dom de...

…

Hmm hmm hmm.

...You know, flying is actually really, _really_ boring. I hadn't noticed the first time, due to the fact that I was _free_ and seeing the sky without bars in the way for several months, as well as really, really tired, but it is. Especially flying over water while everyone on board tries to outdo each other in the Looking Serious and Pensive stakes.

Seriously, half these people are making _me_ look upbeat. Apart from the Avatar, who still has that dopey, slightly dazed look on his face. From _yesterday_, no less.

Dom de dom de dom de dom de

"Mai."

Dom de dom de

"Mai."

Dom de dom

"_Mai_." The earthbender punctuated that last one with a kick to the shins.

"What?"

"_Stop. Humming._"

–

Night fell, and we made camp in the southern outskirts of the canyon. Gaoling was visible, barely, little more than a grey smear on the horizon.

The camp was tense, and everyone was quiet, and boring. So I turned away from the camp fire, and considered the view.

The lights from the town were nothing like Ba Sing Se, just a few fires dotted among the dark shapes. But it gave me something to look at, in any case.

Gaoling. It'll be strange going back. First time I arrived there, we were all playing the Conquering Heroes. Now, I guess, it's time to play the part of the Liberating Heroes. Funny how things turn out, isn't it?

I just hope no one recognises me. Tomorrow is going to be awkward enough.

Suddenly, there was the sound of a twanging instrument, and an old voice began to sing.

"Oh, it's a long long way to Ba Sing Se, but the girls in the city, they look so pretty!"

Fine. Interrupt my moonlit brooding, why don't you?

–

The Assassin.

It's time.

The Guardian.

Let's get this over with.

"Okay, so everyone's clear?" the Avatar asked, for maybe the fourth time.

"Yes. Everyone is still clear," I replied. "The past five minutes haven't been confusing enough to make us forget everything."

"Good" he replied, diplomatically ignoring my attempts to annoy him. I supposed I should give him a break. After all, he did give me the easy job.

Look after Appa, the flying bison. Either he's better at reading people than pretty much anyone else in his little troupe, or he really thinks that the monster can't look after itself. Either way, as I said, I get the easy job.

The Assassin.

The low tunnel in the cliff that marks the entrance to Full Moon Bay is visible now. Ty Lee has informed me that there is only room for the smallest of Fire Nation ships in the bay, so we'll have to come in low and fast.

The shadow of the moon has begun its crawl across the sky. That much is visible from the short glances I can take upwards without hurting my eyes.

I'd say we make our approach in three minutes.

The Guardian.

It's started. I don't even need to look at the sky; Zuko's face is enough.

"Are you alright?"

He waves away the question. "Just cold." He looks it, too.

He's wearing some brown leather armour I've never seen before. It looks strange on him, like something's missing. I can't think what, though.

The Assassin.

Two minutes.

Ty Lee and Katara know what to do. We've gone over it a thousand times. Every second of the eight minutes, every permutation of events, everything.

I want to say something, break this silence. But I don't.

Behind me, Katara has started counting under her breath.

The Guardian.

The bison swoops low, a long circle right towards the centre of town. If the Fire Nation army are playing to type, that's where they'll have set up their barracks.

Toph nudges me.

"How does it look?" She sounds uncharacteristically serious.

I peer over the side. It looks... busy. Patrols are glancing upwards from their routines, yelling and running from us, windows are opening, civilians peering upwards.

"Well, we've certainly got their attention, anyway."

If that's not what she wanted to know, she'll find out soon enough.

The Assassin.

One minute.

I speak.

"Remember, watch each other's backs out there."

Ty gives a curt nod from in front of me. Behind me, Katara begins to waterbend. The sea around us begins to swell, a wave building up all around us, against the current.

The Guardian.

The Avatar stands as we curve lower towards the panic on the ground. A twirl, and his glider is unfolded. He turns to look at us.

"Alright, guys, this is it. Good luck."

He leaps.

The Assassin.

The tension snaps, and the junk is catapulted forwards faster than thought.

And here we go.

The Guardian.

The sky darkens. Zuko shivers.

We land.

–

The Assassin.

The wave was thin and low and focussed and nothing like any natural wave. Katara had taken a tidal wave and given it a _purpose_.

The Junk didn't ride it so much as get immersed in it. The wave was behind us and below us and surrounding us, like a hand. Ty Lee was clinging to the mast, perched on the top. I was hanging on to the side, but Katara stood without aid. She was in control here.

We poured down the tunnel, and I could see four small Fire Nation ships docked at the harbour. Not likely to be manned; ignore them.

The harbour wall is coming. This could be interesting.

I can see men on the wall through the gloom, swarming, waving their arms in blind panic as we draw closer by the second.

I'm almost jerked off my feet as the wave suddenly swells, lifting the boat a good seven feet higher, and we're suddenly passing between two ships and it's all I can do to hold on and keep my balance and the wall is right there and I can see a man right in front of us and we're suddenly flying and the wave is behind us and around us but we're no longer a part of it and we're clearing the wall and this is where I get off.

The Guardian.

Chaos. Absolute chaos.

Firebenders swarmed us as soon as we touched down, only to find that they couldn't do a thing, and get sent flying by Toph's quite frankly terrifying power. She didn't stay long enough to actually take any of them out properly, however, and just charged off, determination written on her features.

The Avatar had already gone to another part of the town, in an attempt to locate the prisoners we took when I was last here. I had heard that they were going to be stored in one of the caverns, and mentioned it to the Avatar a couple of days ago. I hadn't realised at the time that it was going to lead to me and two de-powered firebenders having to fight off around thirty people.

There's only one thing to do.

"Toph! Get your ass back here _now_!"

I don't think she listened.

The Assassin.

I leapt, and rolled as I hit the harbour wall. Behind me, the boat continued on, crashing down its column of water as it smashed into the ground below.

But enough of that. Focus, Sokka.

Three men were in front of me. Benders, by their stance. I don't think they fully understood the situation yet. They'll learn, for all the good it's going to do them.

I take my time straightening up. Katara had known what I was going to do, and with her power augmented by the full moon in the sky, she had managed to keep most of the torrent away from me, but my back was still wet.

Oh look, they're trying to bend. Hah.

Steel flashes, and two bodies hit the floor. The third, realising what's happening, tries to run. He's not fast enough.

The Guardian.

Toph doesn't come back. I don't think she heard me at all.

We're a bit screwed. Sure, most of these guys are benders, and as such have no idea what the fuck, but lots of them _aren't_. And they have big pointy things.

Oh, Agni, I'm going to have to kill someone, aren't I?

The Assassin.

I worked my way along the harbour wall. There were a few guards in my way. Some ran, some fought. Either way, I won.

No one surrendered, but on reflection, I hadn't given them a chance yet.

This had occurred to me, but I hadn't mentioned it, for obvious reasons.

We don't _want_ prisoners. Sure, we can contain them now, but in two months? That'll be another matter _entirely_.

And since Ty Lee practically _defines_ non-lethal combat, and Katara just can't think like that (and shouldn't, and I'm grateful every day that she can't), I'm sure as hell not going to contribute to the number of prisoners.

The Guardian.

Zuko brandished his swords menacingly, and General Iroh freed his hands, his eyes scanning the men arrayed before us.

I wished they would just get on with it. These guys all seem so worried, now they've lost their bending. Like they're taking what at face value seems like a couple of teenagers and an unarmed old man seriously.

They're quiet enough to hear the roar of the earth from a few streets over, and the shrieks that accompany it.

It's too much for one guy, and he charges at Iroh, waving a spear around like he doesn't have the faintest idea what he's doing. Which, in retrospect, he probably doesn't.

Needless to say, about two seconds later he's face down on the floor with Iroh's boot on the back of his neck.

But it's enough to get everyone moving, and the whole lot of them start to edge forwards. A few target Zuko, but again, most of them seem to be benders, and as such only about half of them are even _armed_. Needless to say, it's not much of a contest.

There's a wild cry to my right, and I spin around to see a wide-eyed man hurtling towards me, sword upraised like he actually took lessons at some point.

My leg flicks up. My heel catches him in the jaw. He hits the ground.

Easy.

The Assassin.

I'm done up here. Down below, Katara has turned the waterlogged ground surrounding the boat into an ice rink. Handy for her, and Ty Lee doesn't seem to be having difficulty, but not exactly my forte.

Oh well, there's still plenty of ground for me to work with.

I leapt down from the wall, and advanced towards the nearest group of soldiers. Five men. Only three are a credible threat.

They've all got swords, but two of them are holding them completely wrong. Well, this shouldn't be too hard. They're half terrified already, twitching to look around at the carnage Katara is wreaking on their comrades behind them.

Before they start to take me seriously, I throw my knife, and it catches a man in the throat. On the back of that movement, I draw my short sword with my left hand, catching a clumsy strike on it and twisting it, knocking the man's weapon from his hand. A twist, and the disarmed bender is between me and the other three, and a lunge from the shoulder leaves him with a sword in his chest.

As he crumples to the ground, I leave my long sword in his corpse, rolling forwards and drawing my boomerang. When the next strike comes I'm ready for it, stepping backwards and hooking my boomerang into his shoulder armour, yanking him forwards. Right into my sword.

But that means I'm left holding up his corpse, and I'm not ready to drop my weapons yet. So when the next attack comes, it's all I can do to make sure it slices a long gash in my right arm instead of puncturing my lung.

Oh _fuck_, that's painful.

I work through the pain, ripping my sword from the man's body, and bring it down on the man's skull.

It's not a clean kill. Even though he wasn't wearing a helmet.

There's a _squelch_ when I finally pull my sword free, and I'm splattered with gore. The last man takes one look, and drops his sword.

I advance anyway.

He backs up, eyes wide, until his back hits the wall.

No quarter. I raise my sword.

"_Sokka!"_

Something grabs my wrist, and a plume of ice freezes the soldier in place.

Katara is there, eyes wide in horror, staring at me.

I force myself to look back as she shakes her head in disbelief and confusion. I force myself to look as it turns to horrified realisation.

"Katara..." she's going to leave me here. She knows what I am, my soul laid bare. The lies she's told herself with my help are revealed at last. I am everything she abhors. She's going to turn her back and run, and I won't follow her.

Her eyes shine, and she whispers my name.

Then she grabs me and pulls me into a fierce, painful hug, heedless of the fact that my armour was stained with blood.

After a moment, I placed my arms around her shoulders, careful not to let my bloodstained hands touch her.

A moment later, the battle raged on.

The Guardian.

We're definitely in trouble. Time's nearly up.

Zuko was holding his own against a knot of men, and Iroh was untouchable.

Me? I was dithering, unable to muster the resolve to actually attack these men, even now. Yes, bad timing, I know.

Suddenly I saw. Two men had got behind Zuko, and were about to stab his unprotected back.

My left arm flicked, and two men fell dead.

Zuko took a step backwards, trying to put some distance between him and his assailants, but tripped over the two bodies, and fell onto his back, losing his grip on one of his swords as his enemies closed in.

My right arm swung, and two more dropped. A flower dropped into my hand, and I threw. Another two men dead. They pulled back, and I ran forward, pulling Zuko to his feet.

"_Hippo mad_!"

Now where have I heard that before?

Oh yes, right here. It might have been this very road.

The earth shook, as the gargantuan lump of lard lumbered laconically (okay, so it wasn't laconic- I just like alliteration) towards us like a one man (I think he's a man, anyway) stampede.

Most fled. If they were fast enough, they survived long enough to run into the guy coming at them from the other way- a muscle-bound, yet more normally proportioned man, albeit one who views doing press-ups as an engaging hobby.

About a minute later, and it was all over.

The Assassin.

Eventually, their firebending returned. After all, eight minutes is only so long.

But it was too late for them. Their formations had been broken, the majority of them were dead or incapacitated, and it wasn't long before the last few surrendered.

Now, what to do with them.

In the end, that proved to be simple. A ferry-load of earthbenders was on the way (they couldn't have come earlier, not with the risk of Fire Navy ships. Our Junk was the only ship fast and manoeuvrable to get past that risk, and even then only with Katara at the helm), so all that was required was to lock the twenty-odd survivors in one of the storerooms, after making sure Ty had paralysed the lot, of course.

All in all, a very profitable half an hour.

But Katara wouldn't look at me.

* * *

**I am really sorry about the wait, guys. But I was _really_ freaking sick with some kind of fever, followed up by a busy period in the old social calender. After that, well, the drive to write took a little while to get going again. Hope it's worth the wait.**


	45. Family Matters

**Chapter Forty-Five: Family Matters.**

–

The Guardian.

By the time the sky cleared, everything was already over.

Well, okay then.

After a quick glance reassured me that Zuko was alright, I started walking. The big muscled guy gave me some evil looks, but I solved that by walking past him.

I found myself tracing the steps Toph must have taken, if the firebenders buried up to the necks or fused to the walls was any indication. Most of them seemed conscious, and severely uncomfortable, although there were more than a few comatose men lying on the ground. The locals had already started to deal with them. I didn't want to be there for that.

So I kept walking, nothing in my head but a kind of detached buzz, until I came to a gate, under which the Avatar was sitting.

"Mai!... You alright?"

I shrugged. "I suppose. Where'd Toph run off to?"

He glanced through the gate, which, now I noticed, had been forced open.

"She's... busy right now. Are you _sure_ you're alright?"

"Well, I killed six men in as many seconds, but yeah, I'm alright."

He didn't say anything, but his face was easy to read.

"You... wanna talk to someone about it? Zuko, maybe?"

"_No_. No" I don't want to have that conversation under _any_ circumstances. "I'm fine, really. Just a little spaced out, that's all. You know, kind of like, oh, I killed six people, well how about that. What's for lunch, anyway?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Okay... but, you know, any one of us would be happy to listen, if you ever want to talk about it."

I almost scoffed. "Oh, I'm sure Toph is the sort to listen to people's whining."

Obviously that was the wrong thing to say.

"You'd be surprised."

I shrugged it off. "Whatever. Listen, Avatar,"

"Call me Aang. _Please._"

"Whatever. Listen, you might want to head back into town now."

He looked confused. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"Not yet. But Toph left a _lot_ of Fire Nation soldiers with no way to defend themselves, and the locals have started to emerge."

He didn't get my meaning at first. Then came the horrified click.

"You don't think they'd-"

I snorted, cutting him off. "What makes you think they _wouldn't_? These people _hate_ the Fire Nation, and there's nothing to stop them from doling out a little home-brewed revenge."

He scowled.

"You're right. Can you stay here until Toph gets back out? Tell her we'll probably be leaving a little later than I'd told her. Thanks."

With that, he dashed off back into town.

I sat down on the ground, my back to one of the pillars, and stared at the blue sky.

What kind of motif is a flying boar anyway? What does it say about the family? They're deceptively agile? They're handy at transporting bacon? They're a sign of the apocalypse? What does it mean?

–

The Assassin.

We found a makeshift stable up from the rocky path, and commandeered three ostrich-horses. I can't _stand_ komodo-rhinos. They're always looking at you, like they're waiting for the right moment to jump you and tear out your liver or something.

We loaded our belongings from the boat onto the backs of our new mounts, and began to ride.

We stopped twenty minutes later at a stream, where we unpacked for lunch and I washed my armour and myself in a nearby stream, laying it out to dry and putting on the Earth Kingdom clothes I had been wearing as normal wear. Well, it was comfortable, and it made me much less obtrusive.

Not that that matters when you're travelling with the festival of colour otherwise known as Ty Lee. Seriously, is anything in her wardrobe not festooned in varying shades of pink? It's very poor camouflage.

–

The Guardian.

Toph's entry was not subtle. Indeed, she charged out of the house behind the gates, a woman's hysterical voice yelling incomprehensibly from behind her. Toph's only response was to accelerate, much faster than should really be possible with legs as short as hers.

I fell into her furious step as we marched down towards the bison.

"So..."

She cut me off. "We ready to go yet?"

"Not for a while. Aang's figured out that just leaving the firebenders lying around is a bad idea."

"Great," she fumed.

"What's the rush?" As if I couldn't work it out.

"We've got to leave, or at least hide, or they'll come and get me. Aang won't be able to say _no_, not to them. So we've got to get out."

She's too absorbed to make any sense, of course. So I point out a small inn.

"How about there? I could do with some lunch."

–

The menu contained such culinary delights as 'fish- 2c', 'fish and rice- 4c' 'meat- 1c' 'meat and rice -3c' 'named meat and rice 10c'.

"I think I'll have the fish and rice, thanks."

"Me too."

"So," I said, as the waitress scurried away. "What was all that about? Who are you hiding from?"

Toph sighed, and slid down her chair slightly.

"My parents. They're... overprotective. I've _tried_ explaining to them that I _don't_ need protecting, that I can look after myself, but they just don't believe me. Today, I was really hoping I could prove to them that I was what I said I was. Instead they just told me that I was going to have to stay with them from now on. And I can't let them find me now, because I can't just tell them _no_, I won't do what they say, and Aang can't tell them _no_, because he's the _Avatar_, and he can't say things like that in public. So I've got to hide."

The girl's starting to sound like Sokka, Agni help her. "Parents suck."

"Yeah."

Our food arrived. It defied all expectations by being edible.

"So," Toph said, after a while, "What's up with you?"

"Oh, alright, I guess. Although the Ava- _Aang_ thinks I shouldn't be."

She looked up. "Why?"

"Oh, I killed some guys. Firebenders, I guess, so that's alright." I tried not to sound sarcastic.

Toph looked... unwell. "Mai..."

"I'm _fine_." I could feel myself getting irritated. "It's not a big de- well, I guess it sort of _is_ a big deal, but this is a war, and people are _supposed_ to get killed. That's how it _works_."

Toph shook her head, in a manner so uncharacteristically sympathetic that it was infuriating.

"What do _you_ know about it, anyway? I've seen the way you fight."

That was _definitely_ the wrong thing to say. Toph's face twitched with sudden anger, under control in a fraction of a second but still there.

"Sokka didn't tell you, then."

I could tell by the tone of her voice that this was something I didn't really want to know. Sheer bloody-mindedness kept me in the conversation.

"Tell me what?"

"What happened the first time I was in a proper battle."

"No," but your tone of voice speaks _volumes_.

"I killed people. Nineteen. I didn't even _mean _to, I barely noticed at the time- I was all buzzed on adrenaline. But afterwards... Sokka helped me through it."

"Really? He doesn't exactly seem like the comforting type."

She smiled, a little, and it looked like her train of thought had been derailed successfully, which I was glad for- I didn't want to see what was at the end.

"You'd be surprised."

I shrugged; you learn something new every day, I guess.

"Huh. Well, I wasn't like that. I knew exactly what I was doing, and why."

"Why, then?"

I answered before I could think about what a bad idea that was.

"Zuko was in trouble. He'd been surrounded, and was in danger. So I helped him out."

"_Oh_." Toph smirked, and suddenly the world was familiar again.

Then, things took a turn for the bizarre. Or at least uncomfortable.

"You love him, don't you?"

...My brain just snapped.

"_What?"_

"Oh, come on, you _so_ do. You can barely control yourself around him, and don't try to lie to me; I can _read your heartbeat_."

I didn't speak. No one, not even Ty Lee, had accused me of ..._that_, before.

"So," Toph continued, "you gonna tell him?"

Oh come on.

"No."

"What? Why not? That's how these things _work, _isn't it?"

"No."

"But-"

"No. Now come on, Aang's probably looking for us."

–

The Assassin

We rode hard, making the most of the daylight. Our next rendezvous point was a good two days' ride away, and we needed to be as fast as we could.

"Sokka, we need to rest."

"Just a couple more miles."

I had also discovered that I slept better when I exhausted myself.

"_Sokka_, we can't _see the road_ any more. We _need _to sleep, _now,_" Ty Lee snapped at me.

"I can see fine, just a little further."

Eventually, I lost, but by that time I had drawn the debate out long enough for us to cover at least another mile.

So we pitched camp, too tired to go to the trouble of preparing a meal, and simply settled down in our tents to sleep.

–

**Well, it seems the time honoured combination of alcohol, a nice day, some badminton, and track seven of Led Zeppelin II thirty-seven times (look it up if you're _that_ desperate to get the convoluted and not at all funny pun) has been good for the inspiration.**

**Also, this is kind of a beat panel. Nothing much important happens, but I wanted a chapter's worth of space before I got back into the good old aaaaaaaangst.  
**


	46. Beneath the Summer Moon

**Chapter Forty-Six: Beneath the Summer Moon.**

–

The Assassin.

I'm sorry.

There's no answer. Of course there's no answer.

I'm sorry. I didn't _know_.

I knew enough.

I didn't _care_ enough.

I cared too much.

Bloody ironic.

Bloody.

I'm sorry.

–

Sokka?

–

She's not answering me.

Say something! …Please.

–

Sokka, wake up! Please!

–

I'm sorry!

Maybe she can hear me.

–

Sokka, can you hear me? It's me! You have to wake up!

–

_I'm sorry!"_

I lash out wildly in the dark, but my wrist is grabbed.

"Wh- who's there?"

My hair is plastered over my face, slick with sweat, and I'm short of breath. My eyes are sore.

"Sokka," a voice breathes. "Are you alright?"

Ty Lee.

I pulled myself upright, and fumbled around for a shirt against the midnight breeze.

"Sokka, talk to me," she said. She sounded distraught. "What's _wrong_?"

"Just a dream."

"That was not 'just' a dream. Sokka, you were _sobbing_." She grabbed me, turning from my attempts to find more clothing, and fixed me with a steady look. "Sokka, you really scared us."

"I'm sorry."

"You said that. You kept saying it." Her glare softened. "Who were you talking to?"

"I was..."

Wait a minute.

"'Us'?"

She looked at me oddly.

"Yeah, me and your sister."

I held up my hand, gesturing for quiet.

The sounds of the night drifted into the tent. Nothing else.

Ty Lee turned and poked her head out of the tent.

"That's funny. Where'd she go?"

I grabbed a shirt and my shoes, and clambered past Ty Lee out of the tent.

"Wait here."

She paused, and gave me an appraising glance.

"Sure, Sokka."

–

Katara's trail was easy to follow, and led me to the bank of the stream. She was staring at the water, her back to me.

"Katara?"

It occurred to me that this was the first time I had addressed her directly since before the eclipse.

"Oh. It's you." She's flat. Uninterested.

"Yeah."

I want to go to bed. I don't want to find out what made her decide to wander off into the night, because I don't want to have the conversation that will lead to.

If I turn back now, it'll just get harder to talk to her.

There's an almost palpable barrier between us now. The artificial closeness we've tried to cultivate has been shattered. This is always going to be between us, an impediment to understanding.

Good. Because if it's ever broken through, it will be because my baby sister has become a murderer.

I start to turn away.

"Sokka." She turns around.

"Yeah?"

She looked at me, blankly.

"Just wanted to see you were okay, that's all."

She turns back around. I can feel myself getting irritated, and I speak before I think.

"Could have waited around to see, if you wanted to know."

She exhales, slowly.

"Your _friend_ had the situation well in hand." She almost spat the word. It's infuriating.

"Look, I know you've got... _something _against Ty, but it's got to _stop_. We've got to work together here, and we can't be just sniping at each other all the time. So whatever you've got against her, for Spirits' sake _sort it out_."

She turned around with a violent suddenness.

Her eyes were wide and staring.

"Sokka, it's not _about her. _Sokka, it's _you_."

"Me? What about me would make you dislike Ty so much?"

She was shaking.

"Sokka, _I don't know you_."

…

"_What_?"

She blinked, and I took a step towards her.

"Eight years, Sokka. One day you're there, Mom's there, the next, boom, _gone_. We thought you were _dead_, or at least gone forever. I _hated_ the Fire Nation for that; that's all that kept me going some days."

She was crying, and I started towards her, but she waved me back, gulped down, and carried on.

"And then, right out of the blue, you're back. And it's _you_, and you're just like you used to be, and I was _happy_. It was like a dream come true, you know. Some of my family was coming back to me."

She shook her head, and laughed bitterly.

"But you're _not_ the brother the eight-year old me remembers. He could never have done anything you could do, and _I don't know what you can do_. Do you understand? I don't want to get into an argument about what's right and what's wrong and what's _necessary_, I'm not sure I know what any of that means any more. All I know is _I hate this_."

She hissed, and glowered at the world.

"I hate the killing and the fear and the hatred and I hate carrying that around and I just want it all to _end_. I want my family back, and I want the war to end, and I'm scared because I want to _hurt_ the people who caused all this."

Her anger was rising. I braved it, and took a step forward.

"And _she's_ part of it. You know I heard you before, in the night? I had got up for some reason, I can't remember, and I went into the kitchen and I could hear you laughing in your sleep, and I knew you were hurt but I just didn't know what to _do_. I hate myself for it but all I could think about was what if you were angry, or _violent_. I was _scared_ of you, Sokka, and I can't stand it."

She sank to her knees, and I dropped to the ground, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"But tonight, she hears you, and she just goes in, and wakes you up. You talk to her easier than you've talked to anyone else here, you're _happy_ around her. But she's just part of this, this _life_ you've had, this huge gap that I don't know about. And I know you don't think of her as a replacement sister, and I _know_ she doesn't think of you as a brother, but there's a stupid, strange part of me that thinks if she was just _gone_, we'd be a family again."

I cut her off, pulling her close. I can feel her shake, and she grabs hold of me.

"Katara... I don't know what to do. I want to say sorry, but it'll never be enough, and I don't know what else I can _do_."

She made some kind of spluttered, hiccuping noise, and it took a moment to realise that she was laughing.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Sokka. I didn't want to dump all that on you, it's just... well, I needed to say it, that's all. Now I feel wretched, and you feel wretched, so there's a point that makes us similar, huh?"

She smiled oddly, and I guess that she found whatever she had just said amusing, and flopped backwards until she was sitting on the bank, and I folded my legs under me.

"Well," I said, as an oddly bright thought came to me, "everything'll be over by summer's end, one way or another. Either the Fire Nation set us all on... fire, I guess, or we don't die, launch the mother of all counter-attacks, and win. Job done."

She rolled her eyes.

"That simple, huh? Well, I guess if that's the best plan we've got, I suppose we can work with it."

"And then we go home."

Her eyes began to trace a memory.

"Home."

–

The Guardian.

We slept on the move, having left Gaoling in the presumably capable hands of the circus troupe I had been told were actually competitors in something called the Earth Rumble, whatever that was, until the actual Earth Kingdom Army arrived.

The next morning saw us all in extreme discomfort from sleeping on a cramped wooden saddle, but that's beside the point. It also saw us at the town of Qi Shui.

It looks like a fairly large town from up here. General Iroh informed us that it had been Fire Nation for about five years. Long enough for some settlers to move in, but certainly not long enough for the resident Earth Kingdom types to be anything but hostile.

Let's get this show on the road, shall we?

–

We landed on the outskirts of the town, and our little troupe marched down the main road, glancing over our shoulders at every shadow.

The place wasn't deserted. That much I was certain of. Everything was in order, everything was maintained, and there was no evidence that this was anything other than a bustling market town.

Apart from, you know, the lack of actual people.

_There_.

Only for a second, but I'm certain of it. Someone's silhouette in the window.

I muttered this information to the Avatar.

"I know," he murmured back. "There are people in the houses. I can _feel_ them."

"Spectacular Toph-O-Vision?" I questioned.

"Yep."

"Thank goodness for that. For a moment I was worried you were going to pull some Avatar-ly powers ass pull on me."

Then everything exploded.

–

The smoke was thick, cloying, and everywhere. It was heavy and black, and of the kind that clung to your clothing, almost liquid.

I could tell by the coughing that I wasn't the only survivor, and resisted the urge to blunder around. Instead, I breathed as shallowly as I could, and _listened_.

Everything was muffled, and far, far too quiet.

Another explosion, this one further away.

A shape blundered towards me, and a knife was in my hand.

"Mai?"

Iroh.

"Yup. What's going on?"

"We are being attacked."

"Wow. I can see why everyone calls you such a great-"

"Quiet."

Well, that was snappish.

He seemed on edge, like he was waiting for something.

A great crash burst from all around us. The trap had been sprung.

Idly, I realised that it had only been a few seconds since the smoke bombs went off. Time seemed to go more slowly in this blackness.

But there was no time to reflect on that, because a screaming man in red armour was suddenly filling the two feet of vision that I called my personal space. I kicked him in the nuts, and then in the chin.

That's that dealt with.

Iroh had vanished, replaced by a huge monster in the smoke. It was clanking and bellowing and belching fire and charging right for me and _run_.

As I turned to run my ass off, the ground exploded again.

This time, however, was much more controlled, a small explosion just below the front end of the metal behemoth, that flipped it on its back. As the body swung, the ground exploded again, with more force, sending it tumbling through the air where it his the ground side on, crumpled and useless.

And the smoke around me cleared, until I was looking at the most dangerous tramp in the world.

Seriously, this guy was like King of All Hobos. The smoke was clearing, but it clung to him like a cloak, and he glared at the world from beneath a crown of insanely bad hair, which contrasted beautifully with his oddly neat moustache and beard. Neat in comparison, anyway.

Suddenly, he slid into a wide stance, his ragged poncho swirling around him, and the smoke spat out- and I am _not_ kidding- a bunch of men wearing what looked like grass skirts.

It would later become apparent that they were actually covered in camouflage, but I didn't know that at the time.

He made a few hand gestures, and they scuttled off into the smoke again, and soon after I heard screams.

A second later, and the smoke swallowed the Tramp King as well.

–

The battle was over. I had managed to miss most of it, blundering around until the Avatar bothered to clear the smoke away- apparently everyone but me had other ways of getting by. Toph and the Avatar could see through their feet, and smoke wasn't as much of a problem for firebenders, for some reason. I had, of course, been forgotten.

Thanks, guys. Really.

The grass-skirt brigade had long since vanished into the undergrowth, but their leader, the Hobo King, aka Captain Scowlytrousers, had stuck around, bumming in an alleyway near where I was not-so-coincidentally standing, just out of sight.

"Jeong-Jeong."

I froze.

_Jeong-Jeong_? The Deserter?

"Grand Master." Why was he calling Iroh Grand Master? Grand Master of _what_? Has-been generals?

"You were late." Oh, Iroh does _not_ sound happy.

"You walked into an obvious trap. I assumed that the Grand Master had a plan." Now, that was just sarcasm.

"I planned for you to meet us as previously arranged, in the centre of town."

"If my men had walked clear into the daylight, I would have sent them to their _deaths_."

"So instead you would risk the Avatar?"

"I have seen the boy's potential first-hand. He was in no danger. Now, if you will excuse me, Grand Master, I shall attend to my duties. You can be assured that this province will be free of Ozai's grasp before summer's end."

I didn't hear him leave. That alleyway is a dead end.

But somehow I wasn't surprised when Iroh walked out alone.

–

The Assassin.

Home.

The word kept me up almost until dawn.

Where was it?

It was the South Pole, an environment I couldn't live in. I didn't know how to hunt, I wasn't any good at piloting a boat, and I was used to the much warmer climes of the Fire Nation.

It was the Fire Nation, a place I had spent half my life against my will, but had gotten proficient at navigating.

Frankly, it was absolutely nowhere.

I'll try, though. For Katara's sake I'll try.

* * *

**Aaaaaaaaaangst.**


	47. The Sun is Shining

**Chapter Forty-Seven: The Sun is Shining.**

–

The Guardian.

"So," I asked, as we finally left Qi Shui behind us, the setting sun turning everything a tacky shade of gold. "Where to next?"

Zuko pulled out a map.

"Well, I think we're... um... here. No, wait, that's not it. Here?"

He bumbled his way through finding our location, with that utterly earnest incompetence that is so very Zuko. Eventually he found it.

"Okay. So we've got to fly due west for a day to our next destination, a place called Fei Ji. After that, it's south to another town, and then Aang's going to take off and the rest of us will continue on foot to Omashu."

"Okay then. Guess we should try and sleep now, then."

"Yeah."

I didn't sleep. Not for a while, anyway.

Love.

It had been brought up in the aftermath of the eclipse, but I had managed to ignore the word until now.

Toph had claimed that I was in love with Zuko. Her evidence for this assertion was... dubious at best. My heart apparently beat faster when I talked to him, which, to be fair, was true.

But all that really proved was that there was some kind of physical reaction to him.

I don't... _approve_ of the word love. Frankly, it's used so often to describe pure physical infatuation that it's hard to tell if the concept is even real, if it's just a combination of lust and people lying to themselves and each other.

Okay. Yes, I'll admit I find Zuko... _interesting_, for a lot of reasons. I'd be lying if I tried even for a moment to assert that his body wasn't one of those reasons.

I don't know if it's the most important reason. The only way to test that would be to make him triple in weight, or make him a hunchback, or ...give him a disfiguring scar...

Okay, so maybe that's a point in my favour. I still find him attractive even though half his face looks like leathery bacon. But maybe I'm just weird like that, and just don't know it yet.

Okay, so maybe it's his brains.

Stop laughing. He's not dumb, you know. Just hopelessly under equipped for the crap life threw his way. But that aside, his smarts haven't really had a chance to shine as of late.

So that just leaves his personality.

The thing that grew to fascinate me about Zuko was his outlook on life. He always seemed bizarrely confident that everything in the end would turn out alright. Even now, when his old life seems as far away as the dark side of the moon, he still for some reason seems to think he can get it all back if he just tries hard enough. Maybe it's his confidence in his own destiny, maybe it's just the way he is, but he never stops _trying_.

I had absolutely no experience of a personality like that. Even now, only the Avatar, the strange god-child that he is, even comes _close_.

He's unique, and there's something about him that makes me want to preserve that. I don't want to see him _hurt_, because it could change him. And really, that kind of change can only be for the worse.

Bah, this is getting nowhere. In the end, there's only one real certainty here, and I knew it already.

I would die for him, in an instant. With barely a thought. And if that's not love, well, it's about as close as I'm going to get. How macabre.

What a shock. I wear black, sit in corners glowering, and throw knives at people. And suddenly I realise I'm macabre.

–

The Assassin.

The morning was subdued. While I trusted Ty Lee not to have followed us and listened in, I was equally sure she had figured out that something big had happened. She didn't say anything, though. Just gave me some inquiring looks. For her part, Katara seemed a little less tense, although she might just have been tired.

We rode hard, trying to make our next destination before midday. The terrain turned from woods to dry scrub land, and there was no real protection from the sun.

Of course, just to make it more fun, I had to put my armour on now.

"Why are we stopping?" Ty Lee asked, when I pulled on the reins.

"There's a village up ahead. We'd better get ready."

"Oh." And that was it. Well, I suppose she didn't have much to get ready.

I, on the other hand, went behind a bush to change.

–

We weren't subtle about our entrance, riding down the main road with the setting sun behind us (ostensibly to blind anyone charging at us, actually because it makes me feel cool). People, of course, peered out of their windows as we passed, and we waited to be challenged.

It wasn't what I was anticipating. Not by a long shot.

–

The Guardian.

Another day, another fight. It wasn't even worth talking about.

The events afterwards, however, were far more interesting.

The Avatar had just finished binding the last of the prisoners in stone bonds. A crowd had gathered to watch him lock them in their own barracks, earthbending sealing off all exits (he had, of course, ensured that they had sufficient food to last until the Earth Kingdom or Jeong-Jeong's grass skirt men or whoever showed up). Crowds were just attracted to this kid.

But this was different. They were wary. _Frightened._

He took a bewildered step forward, and the crowd backed away, some of the ones at the back turning and fleeing.

"Is something wrong?"

There was a cry from somewhere in the back of the crowd.

"Don't hurt us!"

"I... wasn't going to."

Oh, Aang, was I _really_ the only person here who paid attention to the map? This place has been Fire Nation for twenty years. About half of the people here are settlers. _They don't think you're on their side_.

He opened his mouth, no doubt to perpetrate some diplomatic disaster.

I tapped him on the shoulder.

"Let me handle this."

He gave me an odd look.

"...Okay. Good luck, I guess."

As he scampered away, I surveyed the crowd, hoping that I had spent enough time around Azula for her ability to cow people with a look had seeped over to me by osmosis.

"Take me to your leader."

–

The Assassin.

The doors to the bar burst open, and five armoured men tumbled out.

The lead one swayed.

"W... water tribe! An' … an'... _pink_ tribe!" He glowered, horribly. As in, it was a horrible glare, that made him look like he was just squinting.

"Sarge, Sarge" one said, with an air of grave seriousness. "I lef' me spear behind."

"Where'd ye leave it?"

The unarmed soldier paused.

"I dunno, Sarge."

Ty Lee, Katara and myself all exchanged glances.

"Ty, can we leave this one to you?"

"_I think, I think it might be in the pub, Sarge, on account of how I lost me keys one time and then I found 'em in the pub."_

She backed up, and pulled a face.

"You mean you want me to... _touch _them? I can smell their breath from _here_."

"_Well, go back an' get it."_

Katara piped up.

"Now you're just being melodramatic. You won't have to be near them for very long."

"_Aye, Sarge. I'm, I'm on my way now. Back in a minute."_

"But that one on the left looks like... yep, he threw up. Sorry, Sokka, but I am _not _ going near them."

"_Wait! Hol' on, soldier. While yer in-in enemy territory, yer might as well get us another round."_

I sighed.

"Katara? If you would be so kind?"

"_Aye, Sarge. ...Can anyone lend me some money?"_

"Oh, I suppose I could find the time."

–

The Guardian.

I was hastily directed to an underweight man of about fifty, of the sort that was one second away from a desperate kowtow.

"I just want to say-" he stammered. I held up my hand.

"Walk with me."

Needless to say, I was starting to have fun.

"Of course, my La- Miss- yes."

We ambled.

"Now, you seem like a ..._reasonably_ intelligent man, Mr..."

"Ming Ming. I'm the mayor of this town."

Poor man.

"Okay... Mr. Mayor. Now, I'm going to discuss with you a rare opportunity. In fact, you are the very first to be given this chance. You could be at the ground floor of a regime change, Mr. Ming Ming. A very advantageous one for all parties, that will end the war for good, and ensure that the Fire Nation remains an independent country. After all, the last thing the Avatar wants is to upset the balance of the world."

I could see the wheels desperately turning.

"What would I have to do?"

"Maintain order, Mr. Mayor. Ensure the no one panics, that life in this town continues as normal. When the next men arrive, do not hinder them. You can say that you were coerced, or threatened, in the unlikely event that everything goes wrong, but make sure that no one tries to fight."

"And you'll put a good word in?" he wheedled. Got him.

"Trust me, Ming Ming, I will ensure that the Fire Lord _never_ forgets your name."

Would you believe I kept a straight face the entire time?

–

**Aaangst.**

**Just a little, though.  
**


	48. Dancing in the Sand

**Chapter Forty-Eight: Dancing in the Sand.**

–

The Guardian.

By the time I had returned to the flying bison, everyone was ready to go. Aang looked up.

"How did it go? Is everything cleared up?"

"Please, don't ask me for an absolute in politics. That's just stupid."

I had been waiting to use that phrase ever since I made it up, about a year ago. It was funnier and pithier when I first thought of it, I'm sure.

"What do you mean? Do you need to stay longer?"

I gave the matter a few seconds' thought.

"...No. The one thing I can state with certainty is that things will only get worse if we stay any longer. The locals are getting twitchy, but I think fear of you along with the collaboration of the mayor should be enough to keep them from doing anything stupid until the Earth Kingdom or Jeong-Jeong shows up." And then we'll just have to trust that the Earth Kingdom or Jeong-Jeong don't do anything... stupid.

He didn't look too pleased with the word 'fear' being applied to him. Oh well. He'll have to get used to it.

–

The Assassin.

The fight having lasted all of three seconds, we left the five unconscious men in the care of the bartender, at his suggestion. Apparently, the five, after a while, had become quite well-liked in the village. After I had expressed polite surprise at this, the man had taken this as his cue to back his claim up with evidence, yes indeed, the youngest of the soldiers had recently caught the attention of a local farmer's daughter, and the Sargent and his men had been nothing short of heroic when the herbalist's house had caught fire, yes indeed, and...

Eventually, my patience won us a free lunch, with the less-than-entirely welcome addition of what seemed like everyone in this tiny village coming through and chatting to us.

Ty Lee in particular got the attention of one of the young men.

Involuntarily, my palms started twitching.

No, she's just being polite.

It's _Ty Lee_, she giggles at _everything_. From the shapes of clouds to the size of my ears (don't ask) to my more idiotic jokes to- yes. Anyway.

Why should I care, anyway?

"So, what's with the helmet?"

"Huh?"

I turned to the source of the voice. It was some girl. About my age, it looked.

"It's a wolf," I replied, turning back to my meal.

"A batwolf?"

"No. Just a wolf. I don't get it either," I told my potatoes.

"Huh. So what, is it some spirit or something? Some Water Tribe thing?"

"I don't know."

She was quiet for a little, and I took the opportunity to eat.

"What's it like?" she asked, abruptly. "Seeing the world, I mean."

Are you still talking?

"I mean, I've never been outside the province before, and I was just wondering..." she mumbled into silence under my barrage of disinterest.

A small part of me was saying that I was being rude. A larger part of me said that I was hungry, and that smaller part should shut the hell up if it knew what was good for it.

Then the smaller part replied no, Sokka, you are in fact being a jerk, something you made a conscious decision less than a week ago to try and stop being.

"It's varied. I mean, there's a lot to see, and I wouldn't say I've seen it all, or that I'm ever going to, but there's good bits and bad bits and bits that are really boring. The Fire Nation has some great volcanoes and such, if you like ice the Poles have it all over the place, but there's a lot of diversity just in the Earth Kingdom. I mean, out here it's mostly scrub and desert, but heading west you get woods, grasslands, mountains, the works." I wound down as a certain fact nudged my brain. "Of course, you really don't want to go exploring just yet. It's a bit of a war zone right now."

"But," she said, and there was something odd in her voice, and I turned to look at her, "you're trying to stop all that, right? That's why you're here, isn't it?"

I was wrong, earlier. She's not my age at all.

And she's looking at me with what can only be described as _hope_.

It's making me very uncomfortable.

I sighed. "We're trying. And either way, it'll be over soon enough." No it won't. It won't be over at all, _especially _if we win.

"How soon?"

Someone's impatient.

"A couple of years, maybe? I'd imagine somewhere like this is gonna be small enough to avoid most of the excitement."

She's still giving me that look.

I suppose we must be literally the most exiting thing that has happened in years.

The thought makes me dangerously introspective.

We really should get going now.

She's still giving me that look.

I want to disillusion her, yell at her about how I am nothing more than a barely-literate peasant, a slightly crazed assassin, a reluctant murderer who does the best he can and hopes it'll all turn out okay in the end because he _doesn't know what he's doing_. I want to shatter the girl's illusion of grand heroes riding in from exotic locations and ridding the world of all ills by dint of their pure morality, simply because that look is making me really uncomfortable.

I don't.

I play the romantic (yet stoic) hero card to the hilt, even bestowing on her some useless trinket just before we ride out again the next morning.

It's a whalebone choker that Bato had given me along with the armour. I had tried to wear it, but it was uncomfortably tight.

It's got power now, simply because the girl doesn't know anything about it, or anything important about who gave it to her.

Huh.

–

The morning was bright and warm, and we made good time towards our next objective. All three of us had been drained by the events recently, and the ride was a good time to unwind a little.

Ty Lee had a lot of songs to sing, and if I'd known the tunes, I might have joined in. They were all pitched a little too high for me, though.

The real surprise came when Katara pitched in on the chorus to a Fire Navy drinking song. I have no idea where she learned it, and I'm not sure I want to know. Especially given the topic (the title was, I think, "Fuck You, I'm Drunk". They certainly repeated that line a few times).

They made for some quite good harmonies, actually.

–

We stopped for lunch, a simple affair, and them continued. After a while, we found ourselves riding down what seemed to be a dried-up riverbed. This wasn't so bad at first, but it quickly started making me twitchy, as the banks got steeper and taller, and the stubborn shrubbery grew thicker above us.

"Sokka? Is something wrong?" Katara asked.

I glanced around.

"This is the perfect place for an ambush, you two," I replied. "We'd better be careful."

–

The Guardian.

We spent the next night and day in the air. It was fairly tedious, but no more so than usual.

Zuko had taken the reins, and Aang was looking pensive.

"Mai," he asked, from nowhere. "What do the Fire Nation think about the Avatar?"

"That you're a blind force of nature, holding back humanity from reaching its full potential, mindlessly enforcing the status quo that says that although the Earth Kingdom has seventy percent of the world's habitable territory and the Fire Nation population is exploding, it's entirely out of the question to try and do anything to rectify this. Roku was a traitor to his Lord, the Air Nomads were depraved lunatics who killed all their non-bending children, and the Avatar would rather see a man enslaved to the System than make a stand in the name of Justice. Since your return, the earliest rumours, that is, the only ones I was in a position to hear, would have your mission to restore the balance of the world be realised by killing every single person on the planet."

"...Oh. I see."

"Yeah. Propaganda sucks, huh? Don't worry, soon enough you'll be off on your own, with a real chance to do something unambiguously heroic."

There was another long pause. Iroh and Zuko looked like they wanted to say something.

"...Do people _really_ think that?" Unsurprisingly, Toph broke the silence.

"You'd be amazed at how dumb people can be."

"What Mai means is," Iroh interjected, "is that people are not used to their leaders telling them bold-faced lies, and so are more likely to accept the fantastic than the idea that their ruler holds them in such low regard."

I said what I meant, thank you very much.

"Luckily, anyone who is in a significant position of power is usually far less credulous. The Fire Nation court does that to people."

I was determined to get the last word.

"The survivors, anyway."

–

The Assassin.

We were attacked as the sun went down.

It began with a rustle, and five huge shapes burst from the bushes.

Komodo-rhinos. Crap.

Three behind us, two in front of us- a man with a full-face mask and body armour, and a man who in contrast seemed to be wearing almost no armour at all, just a red robe and an enormous beard.

Great. Eccentrics. Either these guys are the kind of idiots who like themes, or they're very, _very_ good. And idiots couldn't have been that efficient at ambushing.

I suck at mounted combat, too.

Without words, we all attacked. I spurred my horse forwards, hurling my boomerang at the man with the nagainata.

It was a poor throw, and was easily deflected, landing on the dirt, but that wasn't the point. While he had been distracted, I had ridden forwards, and swung with my sword, forcing him to duck.

There was a wet thud from behind me, indicative of the sounds of battle. Probably Katara had just hit someone.

The man was unnervingly graceful in his movements, sliding in his saddle with absolute ease, avoiding every strike. Suddenly, he pressed a counter-attack, swinging the butt of his weapon at my head, and I reared back to avoid the blow.

"_Sokka!_"

I snapped to the source of the cry- Katara.

But that wasn't who caught my eye.

Ty Lee had turned deathly pale.

She opened her mouth, lips curling around words, but there was nothing but a choke.

She slumped forwards.

An arrow in her back.

The world sped up.

"_No!_"

I spurred my ostrich-horse towards her, leaving my enemies behind, and snatched at her reins, pulling her mount towards me.

"Ty, come on, Ty can you hear me? Ty, stay with me, please." The questions came thick and fast, the babble a background noise to my thoughts.

I had to do something or or Ty Lee would _die_.

"Run!"

I twisted my ostrich-horse in the direction we had been headed, and spurred it on, dragging Ty Lee's with me. The two riders tried to stop me, but I aimed a blow at the bearded one's neck, and he had to avoid it, giving me seconds to squeeze past him.

Katara appeared at my elbow, wide eyed, as we fled our pursuers.

Komodo-rhinos are faster than ostrich-horses, but they can't keep it up for long. If we can survive the next five minutes, we've got a chance.

Arrows whistled over our heads, things started exploding behind us, but all I could think about was Ty Lee shaking around, barely conscious, and I was dimly aware that I was still talking to her, yelling under my breath in an attempt to do something through sheer repetition.

Katara was more practical, waterbending as best she could, but she was outmatched.

Just need to get through. Survive.

I wish we had an earthbender with us.

"Katara! _Do_ something!"

"Like _what_?"

"I don't know! Anything!"

Suddenly, she unfurled a plume of water, her eyes scanning the banks. Suddenly, she lashed out, shearing several of the gnarled bushes from above, and sending them tumbling down the sides. She did this several times, until the path behind us was littered with obstacles.

Maybe that would give us enough time to pull ahead.

Ty Lee's dead if it didn't.

* * *

**Anton Chekhov is a purveyor of some quality firearms.**


	49. Unguarded

**Chapter Forty-Nine: Unguarded.**

–

The Assassin.

We rode for miles in near total darkness, unsure of our heading and unwilling to wait long enough to look for landmarks. The sounds of our pursuers had faded behind us, leaving everything claustrophobic.

The faster we went, the more Ty Lee was shaken in the saddle, in spite of my best efforts (not good enough, never good enough), but we didn't dare stop for anything. Her time was running out. She had succumbed to unconsciousness what seemed like hours ago.

I hate paradoxes. Sure, they're interesting enough to think about, as an intellectual exercise, but that's not quite the same as being faced with one.

We're not safe here, on the prairie. We have to find shelter, somewhere.

We crested a small hill, my arm nearly wrenched from my socket by Ty Lee's mount.

"There!"

Katara's voice startled me.

But it drew my attention to a collection of tiny lights.

A town.

We might have a chance still.

–

My heart was hammering in my throat as we hit the town. As we pulled up outside the inn- and I thanked whatever Spirit was paying attention that there was a lit candle upstairs- I nearly fell from my ostrich-horse, and rushed to steady Ty Lee, bracing her between myself and Katara, as the three of us staggered up to the door.

I raised my arm, nearly numb from hauling Ty's ostrich-horse into line, and hammered on the door.

"Open up! Open up, damnit!"

I leant against the door frame with one arm, the other keeping Ty Lee upright and as still as possible.

Suddenly, I heard something. Movement from inside.

The door opened a fraction. I shoved it open a few more.

"What're you- stay back!"

A tall (very, very tall, as in could-see-eye-to-eye with Bato tall) woman was inside, wielding a small but serviceable knife. It looked like she knew how to use it, too.

Then she saw Ty Lee, and her face went white.

Katara spoke up.

"Please, our friend's been hurt!"

"What do you need me to do?"

I had some ideas.

"Drop the knife."

Katara took charge.

"Please, we just need a bed, some bandages, and some fresh water."

"Quickly, right through here, there's a room on the ground floor."

Thank the Spirits for that. I don't think I could manage stairs.

We were directed to a small room with a double bed, and the innkeeper swept away to get what Katara needed in a swish of black hair.

"Okay," Katara said, all business. "Lie her down here, on her front." I appreciated the tone- it calmed me down, a little.

I pulled the blanket from the bed, and we draped Ty Lee down onto it. The innkeeper returned with the items Katara had asked for, and a chair, which she left by the bedside table.

I grabbed the chair, and fell into it.

I see Ty Lee's face. She's pale. Almost blending into the sheets.

In a fit of panic, I clutch her wrist, trying to find a pulse.

For a terrifying second, there's nothing.

There- but it's so weak.

I have managed to keep my composure so far. But there's nothing more I can do now, just sit here and hold on and trust Katara can heal her.

I'm so scared.

"Katara..."

"I know." She exhales, long and slow, and turns to the wound. I can't bring myself to look.

"Okay, let's... let's..."

A splash indicates that she has started bending. There's a faint blue glow that illuminates Ty Lee's still face for a few seconds. Then another. And another.

Abruptly, it stops, and the sheets are soaked with water.

"Katara?" I manage. "Is something wrong?" Please don't let something be wrong, please don't let something be wrong.

I turn to face her, and can't avoid seeing that the arrow is still embedded in Ty's back.

Katara is wide-eyed. Panicking.

"Katara?"

"I don't know what I'm _doing_! I only took about a week's lessons, and I've never had to heal anything like this before!"

"Katara, calm down! You need to focus!"

She inhales deeply.

"You're right. I'm calm. Calm."

And she continues. The blue glow resumes.

It's not enough. Her pulse is erratic, and slowing.

No. No no no.

There's a noise I don't want to think about, and a clatter of wood on wood. The arrow has come out.

You wouldn't know it by Ty Lee's reaction. Not a twitch, not a sigh.

"Katara-"

She pulled the stream back, and I winced to see blood hanging in the water.

"I _know_. I know."

No. "No no, don't you use that tone of voice. Don't you start sounding apologetic."

"Sokka," stop shaking your head, Katara. Stop it. "It's been too long. The wound's been torn wide open- she's lost too much blood already."

No.

No no "Katara, _do something_." Something's screaming inside me.

"Like _what? _I'm doing the best I can, but it's not _working_." She reapplies the water, and the blue glow washes over the scene again.

"I don't know! Something, anything! Katara, I'm begging you, _please_." I don't know what I expect her to do, I don't know why I'm continuing to ask, except for some blind faith in the chance for a miracle.

"Sokka, I-" her face changed then, to a look of slack-jawed shock.

"What, what is it?" I unconsciously tightened my grip on Ty's wrist, obliterating the faint pulse from my fingertips.

"Stupid, stupid, _stupid_," she suddenly said, chanting it like a prayer, as she grabbed at her collar, pulling out a necklace.

No. A phial of some kind, tied around her neck.

"What's that?" I breathed, daring to hope.

"Water from the spirit oasis. It's supposed to have special properties."

Without another word, she pours barely a mouthful of water into her hand, and applies it to the wound.

The room blares white.

_Please_...

The glare dies, and I don't dare to breathe.

_There_!

Her shoulders rise and fall, slowly.

I start to laugh.

–

I had been shooed out of the room. Katara needed to apply bandages, and this meant that I couldn't be present. 'Just because', had been Katara's justification.

So, I ambled back to the bar, where the innkeeper was standing by a teapot. She looked up when I came in.

"So, sorry for, you know, waking you up in the middle of the night and shouting at you and bleeding all over your floor and everything. Katara could probably clean that up for you in a second, you know," I offered. She just smiled serenely.

"It's not a problem. Your friend was hurt, I can quite understand that you didn't have time to observe the niceties." Her accent was neutral, certainly not the slightly rustic twang of the locals, but there was something indefinably smooth about the way she talked.

She's definitely no peasant bartender. But hey, who am I to judge?

"So yeah, we'll probably want to stay a few nights. You do room and board?"

Her eyes glinted, and she was suddenly all business.

"It's two copper pieces per room per night, with an extra piece a day for breakfast. All other meals and drinks extra. Security of a silver piece."

"Right," I said. "I can give you that now. No, wait, I can't. The money's in my saddlebag. Which is on my ostrich-horse. Which I didn't bother to tie up. Oh dear."

–

I staggered out into what was rapidly becoming dawn, intent on finding our missing steeds. Mine, thankfully, was easy. It had simply wandered down the street, and had poked its head into an open window in an attempt to eat the flowers the house owner had seen fit to decorate their table with.

The next required a little more effort. It had left the town, and blundered onto the prairie, where it had started to eat the grass.

The last took a little longer.

It turned out that the beast had obviously grown sick of being told where to go, and had gone as far as it could in no particular direction.

My tracking skills aren't great, but normally I could find where a full grown ostrich-horse had gone. Normally, I wasn't twelve hours late on my sleep, though.

Eventually, I came across her, drinking from a stream in a small coppice.

I took a moment to observe the scene. I knew this was Ty Lee's one- she had chosen it because it looked pretty, of course. I had to admit, it was a very striking shade of red.

I was so, so tired. I was drained, in every sense of the word, and so I flopped onto the bank of the stream.

One black, beady eye glared at me, and went back to drinking, begrudging that it had to share the bank with someone as uncouth as myself, no doubt.

My head is fuzzed from lack of sleep. I don't remember crying, but my eyes are raw. My left arm feels like it has been wrenched from its socket.

But it's alright.

"She's gonna be okay, you know," I told the ostrich-horse, who's name I couldn't remember. "She's gonna be okay."

It's bothering me that I don't know this beast's name.

"What's your name, girl? Oh, come on, don't give me that look. It was a perfectly legitimate question. ...Ah, never mind. It's not important anyway."

I stared up at the clearing sky, as the sun began to rise.

"You know, the next couple of days are gonna kick my schedule in the teeth. ...Oh well; I could use a holiday anyway."

Something about that struck me as really, really funny, and I was attacked by a sudden fit of the giggles.

* * *

**One joke. The first draft had _1_ joke this chapter. That's as many as 1 ones. It wasn't even a real joke. It was just one of those little things I throw in so I can smirk about them to myself later.**

**And that's terrible.  
**


	50. Brass Tacks

**Chapter Fifty: Brass Tacks.**

–

The Guardian.

I was nudged awake, just as the flying cow touched down.

"Anything interesting happen while I was asleep?" I asked, as I sat up to observe my surroundings. It appeared that we were in a clearing in the woods somewhere.

"Nope," Toph replied.

I stretched, and reached around, trying to find something to eat as I ran my fingers through my hair, lamely emulating a comb.

"So... what's on the agenda today?"

"Oh, you know, another day, another town. I wasn't really listening."

"Hrnf."

I had found an orange. Everything else could wait for a few minutes.

–

The Assassin.

It was daylight by the time I made it back to the bar.

After making sure that all our steeds were secure in the stable, I tumbled back to the front of the bar. Glancing up, I noted that the place was called The Bear. The sign depicted a creature not entirely unlike the beast the Earth King owned, albeit drawn by someone with nothing more than a detailed description and a fertile imagination to go on.

I waved our money at the bartender, and trod lightly back to the room.

The door creaked open, and the first thing I saw was Ty Lee, unmoving, on the bed.

"Is she-"

"She's sleeping. Just sleeping." Katara's voice came from to my right, and I turned to see her sitting in a chair by the window, legs folded, one hand on a book. A wide bowl of water was on the small table in front of her. "Sokka, you look terrible. You should get some rest."

I waved her concerns away.

"I'm fine. Besides, you've stayed up just as long as me."

"I've been sitting down, at least." She sighed. "Look, if you're going to stay up, at least go have something to eat first. Then you can take over for me for a while, so I can eat. Okay?"

"Deal."

–

The Guardian.

We were getting ready to move. But there was a snag. A pot-bellied, tea swilling snag.

"Zuko, I do not think you should come with us today. We took enough risks last time. We cannot allow you to be recognised from a wanted poster. It could undo everything."

"_You're _still going," Zuko snapped back.

"I could be anyone, Zuko." To his credit, at least General Iroh didn't sound pleased, or angry, just very calm, and a little sad.

"I've got to agree with Iroh here Zuko; you're kind of... recognisable."

Smooth, Aang. Real smooth.

Then Zuko sighed, and all the fight went out of him.

"I guess you're right. I'll stay here and keep Appa company."

Hey, cheer up. It could be worse. You could be covered in fire ants, for example.

He sat in the saddle as we prepared to move out, the very picture of stoic dejection. You know what I mean, the whole 'I'm-depressed-but-I'm-not-going-to-show-it-because-real-men-don't-show-fear-or-sadness-or-happiness-or-anything-really' look.

…

By that standard, that means that I'm more manly than Zuko.

How disquieting.

Oh well; it's not like it's hard or anything.

We moved out, along a narrow path between the trees. Iroh kept glancing back.

"Something wrong, old man?"

Toph. Elegant as ever.

"I do not think Zuko should be left by himself. Someone should stay with him."

It wasn't even remotely surprising when Toph turned to me, grinning like ...a ...grinning thing. Possibly one of those tacky monkey statues you see in certain types of houses owned by people with no taste in ornaments.

"What do you say, Mai? Up for a little babysitting?"

–

The Assassin.

I stomped back to the bar, and plonked myself down on a stool. The innkeeper looked up.

"Breakfast?"

"That would be awesome," I answered, blearily.

"What would you like?"

I stared at the table for about a minute.

"I'm sorry, I'm too tired to think. Anything you've got lying around would be good."

She looked thoughtful.

"Well, there's some cold possum-chicken left, but it's not really a _breakfast_ food."

"S'okay, I missed dinner too."

She shook her head.

"Look, you're about to fall off that stool. Let me get you some tea, and then we'll see about getting you something to eat."

"Awesome," I mumbled, and began examining the knots on the counter again for a few minutes.

I must have drifted off, because the next thing I knew I was having a cup waved in front of my eyes, and there was an unpleasant tang in my throat.

"Leave the pot," I mumbled, as the innkeeper moved away.

Caffeine worked its magic, and my spine clicked back into something approaching a straight line.

–

The Guardian.

Zuko was sitting with his back to a tree when I came back into view, staring off at nothing. He looked up when he noticed me.

"Mai! ...Is something wrong?"

I shook my head.

"No, I just didn't feel like fighting today."

"Huh."

He probably saw through my transparent lie, but let it slide anyway.

I rooted through our belongings, hoping to find some real breakfast, and wistfully remembering the days when I could bathe as often as I felt like it.

Eventually, I dug up some bread and cheese, which would do nicely.

"So," I said, reclining on the flying bison's huge and obscenely comfortable tail, "what's on your mind?"

"Huh?"

"You've got that look on your face that says you're thinking about something. So, what is it?"

He sort of scowled, and turned away from me a little.

"What do _you_ care?"

That stung, a little, but I wasn't about to let it show.

I waved my arms expansively.

"Do you see anything else around?" Come on, Zuko. You know I care. Don't make me _say_ it.

He closed his eyes, and his head flopped backwards.

"I didn't think it was going to be like this."

"Which bit?"

"_Any_ of it," he snapped, but it wasn't directed at me. "Before, I'd always hoped that, well, maybe Dad was testing me, sending me out into the world to see if I had what it takes, or something. And after a while he'd let me come home again. But that was just a lie I told myself so I could feel better."

Oh great.

"Look, your father's a psychopath. You shouldn't be wasting your time trying to impress him."

"I _know_! I know that. But then, when I first joined Aang, I thought it was going to be... easy. Simple. Dad and Azula were evil and crazy, and they didn't like me and they'd sent Mom away because we were _normal_. We'd fight them, Uncle would become Fire Lord, and we'd make everything alright."

But then you figured out that that was a load of crap.

"But that's just as wrong. People, good, ordinary people, _like_ my father, because he's done right by them. Azula's worse off than I am, will be as long as there's a war, and I'm just helping prolong the fighting. This war is just normal people killing each other because each side thinks the other's wrong. Uncle's told me he won't be Fire Lord, because the line of succession doesn't work that way, not if there's a son waiting in the wings. I can't _deal _with all this, I can barely understand what's going on, and he says I have to be _Fire Lord_?"

Wow. Issues.

"Zuko, I'm afraid that's just how the world is. You can't pay the rent with dreams."

"What?"

"Never mind." I paused, to set my thoughts in order. "Look at it this way. We can't go around persuading every single citizen of the Fire Nation that Ozai's a maniac. Nor can we remove him on our own, because he'll kick our asses. So if we have to ally ourselves with the Avatar and his coalition, and if we have to hide you away from the people you're going to be ruling, then I'm afraid that's what we'll have to do. We can't give up now." Well, we _could_, but you're not going to, so I guess I won't either. "But remember that it's only for a little while. This time next year it'll be all behind us, for better or for worse."

I don't think that really helped, but we'll see.

"Thanks, Mai. I guess I just needed to talk about it." He smiled a little, and closed his eyes again.

Silence reigned.

"Mai?"

I looked up.

"Yes?"

"You said 'we'."

"...And?"

"...Did you mean it?"

"I don't say things I don't mean, Zuko."

"Heh."

A few more moments of quiet. A bird started singing, and the flying monster yawned expansively.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Really, don't.

–

The Assassin.

The innkeeper returned by the time I was on my fifth cup. She was saying something about breakfast, and would I settle for cold possum-chicken and bread? Yes. Yes I would.

Suddenly she fell silent. Golden eyes widened, and there was a creak of an unoiled hinge.

Trouble just walked in. And all I've got is my short sword and my-

No. I don't have my boomerang. I didn't pick it up again in the ambush.

Shit.

I hear a creak as whoever it is (I can guess) takes a step.

I have three seconds.

Deliberately, I reach into my pocket, and pull out three gold pieces. More than enough to cover a few broken chairs. Next, I point subtly at a bottle on the wall behind the bar, large and spherical with a long neck.

The innkeeper picks up the bottle and hands it to me, slowly, eyes on the target at all times. That's helpful, lets me know where he is.

I briefly consider taking a swig, just to pander t my sense of drama, but decide against it. There isn't time.

"-

He opens his mouth, and that's all the opening I need. I spin off my stool and fling the bottle overarm in one movement, hooking my stool with one foot before dragging it into my hand-

It's the firebender. He punches forwards as the bottle spins towards him.

Everything goes white.

–

I shook my head and pulled myself upright. There were burn marks everywhere, and more than one table was broken. I peered through the window. The firebender was flat on his back, in the street. His shirt was on fire.

I think three gold pieces isn't going to cut it.

"What was _in_ that stuff?"

The innkeeper popped up from under the bar.

"You mean you didn't know what that _was_?"

"No."

"It's a sandbender drink. Made of a kind of fermented cactus juice. One shot's enough to have you swaying, and any more causes hallucinations. It's also, it appears, highly explosive. I'll be sure to keep that in mind in future."

I gave that due consideration.

"Well, good thing I didn't have any, then."

Just then, Katara came rushing in.

"What just happened? I heard an explosion!"

"No time, come with me."

I directed her outside, where we saw the firebender helped to his feet by a tall man in full armour. As we moved to attack, the firebender grinned.

"Found you."

We charged, but smoke erupted all around us, and by the time it had cleared, the two were up and riding away. No way were we going to catch them.

"Oh dear."

* * *

**Um... hooray?**


	51. Siesta

**Chapter Fifty-One: Siesta.**

–

The Assassin.

We are in _deep_ trouble.

There's no time to rest any more. Katara and I retreat into Ty Lee's room. My sister insists I take the chair, and frankly I don't have the strength to argue.

I'm out of ideas, and say so.

Katara frowns.

"Well... maybe if we take the ostrich-horses, try and draw them out..."

"No." I shake my head, and try to explain. "I see where you're coming from, but we won't stand a chance. Two of us against five of them? Besides, what's to stop them sending two or three back here instead of to us?" And we'd have to leave Ty Lee behind. Not happening.

"But if we stay here, we're just making the entire village a target." Yep, that's the sort of thing she'd worry about, alright.

I mean, not that I _want _to see this village burn to the ground, but... I can prioritise. Besides, if it comes to that, the mayhem would probably give us some cover, something to work with. An edge.

"I know, but what else can we do?" I glance over to the bed. "How long until she wakes up?"

Katara shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe today, maybe not. Either way, she's not going to be fit to move for at least three days."

"Great." We can't stay here, and we can't move on. The only viable option is to take out these guys permanently. Which we can't do, because right now they'll just kick our asses.

There's got to be a solution. There _has_ to be. A different way of approaching this, another factor I haven't taken into account yet. There has to be.

–

The Guardian.

The morning washed over us, and I stretched mightily.

It was shaping up to be a nice day. The sun was shining, offset by a pleasant breeze, I was comfortable, Zuko seemed to have cheered up somewhat, birds were doing their narratively conventional duty by singing (I have no idea why they call it song. No bird I have ever heard has ever managed to carry a decent tune. But I digress), no one was immediately trying to kill us, or telling us that we had some very complicated, life-changing decisions to make, and I had on hand all the food I could conceivably want, within the bounds of our fairly roomy rations.

All in all, I was in a very good mood.

"So, Zuko," I said, crossing my legs, my arms folded behind my head, "what's the first thing you're going to do once you're Fire Lord?"

He was quiet for a while, and I wondered for a horrible moment if I'd put him back in a serious mood.

"I think I'll outlaw sideburns."

Oh thank goodness. I mean, thank goodness that he recognised the spirit of the question, and not that he plans to outlaw a style of facial hair.

"A controversial move," I noted, gravely.

"They creep me out. It always looked to me like their hair had grown arms and was clinging to the wearer's head for dear life."

"What an imagination you have."

"Hey, I was only eight, you know," he rebutted, gently. "Besides, it'd give me a good excuse to imprison anyone I didn't like. What about you? What would you do, if you were in charge?"

I thought about that for a while.

"Mai?"

"Sorry, but all I can think of is 'orchestrate a subtle smear campaign against the most warmongering of the ministers, leaving them friendless and easy to shunt into useless ceremonial roles, where they can't do any damage while I introduce different men who are more interested in healing the scars of a century of war than restarting it', but that's not very funny."

"Oh." He paused. "You know, that actually sounds like a pretty good idea. But you're right, it's not very funny."

"I'm sorry," I deadpanned. "You have a go, and I'll think of something better."

He readjusted himself against the tree, getting comfortable. "I think... I think I'd insist that any citizen that asks favours of me has to do so in the form of interpretive dance. If they're too old, or otherwise disabled, I guess they could compose a haiku."

"What, like, 'As our great Lord rests/ The cherry blossoms fall slow/ Please give me money'? Why would you do that?"

Zuko shrugged. "I guess it would show that they've actually put some effort into it. Besides, it'd keep me awake longer. Your turn."

I tapped my chin.

"I'd outlaw tree sap."

"...How would you do that?"

"Oh, I'd find a way," I glowered.

There was a pause, and we suddenly burst into laughter.

–

The Assassin.

We had no ideas. So all we could do was stay, and hope.

Katara had finally pestered me enough, and I was on my way upstairs, to take a nap in the heat of the midday sun. She would stay on guard, wake me in the early evening, and then I'd stay on watch tonight.

As I stumble for the third time in seven seconds, I wonder if there might be something in this sleep business after all.

–

The Guardian.

How could this have happened?

I mean, we were keeping the conversation light, weren't we? We were making stupid jokes about court fashions and War Minister Qin and facial hair and due process (well, that last one was just me, actually) and then he has to simmer down and ask something _serious_.

"Mai? Something's been bothering me for a while. You never actually told me what you'd _done_ to get locked up for."

Um.

Ah.

I'm very good at dodging questions. It's an important skill, and one I've mastered. So why can't I think of any way around this one?

Perhaps it's because, on some level, I want to tell him.

Go on. Tell him. The worst thing that could happen is there'd be this awkward pause. This awkward pause that would last for the rest of our lives.

Tell him.

"Mai?"

"I was protecting someone. From Azula."

He didn't get it.

"Oh? Who?"

_Tell him._

"...Someone important."

Coward.

–

The day wore on. It passed noon.

The conversation had mumbled into silence, and it was colouring my perception of the afternoon.

I should have told him. There's not likely to be a better moment any time soon.

Of course, there's the _problem_ with telling him that I considered earlier. The really, really _obvious_ problem that I had forgotten in the heat of the moment, spurred on by, of all things, Toph's less than nuanced views on relationships. So maybe it's for the best. After all, telling him was never part of any of my plans. Just an idle daydream.

Teenage melodrama aside, though, it was still a nice day. Eventually, the trio returned, and Zuko sniggered to see that the end of Iroh's beard had been singed.

And so we moved on, into the early evening.

–

The Assassin.

…....

"Sokka, wake up!"

…...

"Sokka!"

"Dun wan'. Comfy."

"Sokka, _they're back_."

That did the trick. I bolted up off the bed, and swung over to my shoes. I had slept fully clothed, and now was glad I did.

"Where are they?" I asked, grabbing my swordstick from the chair I had leant it against.

"Outside, or they were a few seconds ago." She crossed over to the window, which had a view of the stable and courtyard. "Oh." She backed away with worrying speed.

"What? What's wrong?"

"They're taking the ostrich-horses."

Oh not good. Oh _so _not good.

"How many are there?"

Katara peered out into the dark.

"I see at least four."

Damn.

"Too many. If they try to get in, we can probably take them if we use the stairs and corridors. But we haven't got a chance if they surround us."

"So what do we do?" Katara asked, growing increasingly worried.

"What can we do?" I moved over to the window, in time to see the smirking face of the firebender look up. He saw us, and his grin widened, as he saluted rakishly before turning tail, his men dragging our only transportation with them.

Katara was confused. "Why is he leaving? He knows where we are, so why doesn't he come get us?"

I shook my head.

"He knows we can't leave. He's got us trapped."

But what's he waiting for? Is he going to come back tonight? Is there some factor he knows about that I don't?

I'm operating from a vastly inferior position on every level, and I'm just starting to hate it.

I sigh, watching the dust our enemies made settle in the failing light.

"Listen, the only thing now is for you to get some sleep. You've been up almost two days now, and we need you to rest. I'll keep watch."

Katara acquiesced, and I made my way downstairs. The lamps were lit, but no one was home. With a sigh, I planted myself in a stool, and settled in to wait. At least Katara had left a pot of tea, only warm by now.

I supposed I might as well try and get some semblance of a plan together.

We're going to have to stay here until these riders are dealt with. We haven't got many tools to work with, so we'll have to improvise.

What's the temperament of the villagers. Will they help us? Can we persuade or threaten them into helping us?

Ty Lee has to wake up soon, or we can't do anything. She has to wake up.

Let's see. According to schedule, we're supposed to meet up with an Earth Kingdom force at Chin Village tomorrow. Well, that's not going to happen. Maybe we can get a message out to them? We'll have to see if anyone has a messenger hawk we could borrow.

I slump towards the bar.

Ugh. I don't know anything, I'm out of ideas, out of my environment.

All I can do is wait and hope. Two things I'm no good at.

**--**

**I make no apologies for the lateness of this chapter. I finally finished the Orange Box, which I got for my birthday.**

**I swear to any deity you choose to name that the Half-Life series (including Portal, of course) are the best written, best plotted, and outright best game series I have ever played. Prince of Persia Sands of Time is the only comparison I can think of in terms of writing, and that was let down by some otherwise good but definitely inferior in those respects sequels.**

**And Team Fortress 2 is the prophecied Destroyer of Lives.  
**


	52. The Sons of Plunder

**Chapter Fifty-One: The Sons of Plunder.**

–

The Guardian.

We were in the air again, the three others looking drained from the day's events, and Zuko taking the reins. We were headed south, actually _past_ Omashu, in an attempt to bypass a large Fire Nation stronghold and put us in a good position to get to the famed Secret Tunnel, as well as set Aang a little on his way.

Toph was shooting me meaningful looks. She had become ..._interested_ in my ...I hesitate to call it a 'relationship', but that's exactly what it was, by definition, with Zuko.

It was... what's the word?

Unhealthy.

No. The other word.

Irritating. Yes, that's it. Very irritating.

–

The Assassin.

The night was getting long, but I'd rested, and that would probably see me through until dawn.

So there I was, drinking cold tea in the dark- I'd put out the lamps; the dark had never bothered me, since most of the time I was the thing lurking in it, and besides, it was a lot safer than sitting with the lights blaring through the windows, at least while that Yu Yan bastard was running around- so there I was, wondering exactly how I was going to get everyone out of this mess.

I couldn't think straight. My thoughts kept drifting back to Ty Lee.

She was sleeping, Katara had said, but she hadn't woken up yet. Was that normal? I had no idea, I wasn't in the business of saving lives. All I knew was that she had nearly died, it had looked like she was going to die, but she wasn't going to any more, at least not right now.

She had nearly died. And I had been scared. I had been flat out _terrified, _hysterical beyond anything I had felt in years.

Why? Why had I reacted so _badly_? I had completely lost my head, not thinking about what I was doing at all. If I had been thinking, I would have sent Katara ahead with Ty Lee, and then turned back to try and confuse our tracks, or something.

But I hadn't, and now we were paying the price for that.

Ah shit. Now I'm getting caught up in memories.

Maybe I'm not as awake as I thought I was. More tea, perhaps?

That should do it. Hmm, pot's getting kind of light. Might have to do something about that.

No, wait, I have no idea how to do that. I don't know where the stove is, I don't know where the kettle is, I shouldn't light anything anyway, and I don't know how to make tea properly. So scratch that, then.

Why do I feel so _odd_? Sort of... light-headed.

Oh. Caffeine on an empty stomach. That'll be it.

So...

I focused, trying to apply myself to the task at hand, going over possible routes, trying to remember the village's layout from the little I had seen, going over what resources we had, wondering if we had the time to barricade the inn before they inevitably returned, but every so often my thoughts would grind to a halt, and every time that happened I found my eyes drifting to the rectangle of blackness that was the corridor to Ty Lee's room.

_I hope she wakes up soon._

–

It was nearly dawn.

I'm _tired_. I ran out of tea a long time ago.

Nearly sleep time. Just need to wake up... wake up...

Who was supposed to wake up again?

Ty Lee?

No. I mean yes, but that's not it.

Katara. Right. Let's go wake up Katara.

But that means I have to get out of this chair.

I can do that. Just give me a minute. This chair got comfy somewhere around three in the morning.

–

The Guardian.

The sun rose behind a blanket of thick, grey cloud. Wonderful. At least it's not raining.

The next ten minutes after I entertained that deadly thought were spent glancing nervously upwards. Luckily, it seemed no one had heard me.

"So, oh Mighty Avatar," I grumbled, feeling stiff and tired from another night curled up on the hard wood of the saddle, "what's on the agenda today?"

He just shrugged, unphased at the demonstration of the 'attitude', my mother always said I had.

Oh great, now I'm thinking about Mom.

"Just keep flying for today. There's nothing we need to stop for, really." Luckily, Aang was on hand to derail that train of thought.

Unfortunately, the chronic lack of anything to do put it right back on track soon enough.

It was pointless to worry, of course. That much was evident. I had done all I could do for the moment, and all I could hope for was that the wheels of the Fire Nation bureaucracy are as gummed up as ever, and nothing has happened to Dad yet. All worrying would do was put me out of sorts, and I don't like being out of sorts.

So I won't worry. I'll be... _happy_.

Where are the mind-altering stimulants when you need them?

–

The Assassin.

Someone prodded me in the temple.

"Hnn."

They did it again.

"_Hnn!"_

My muffled grunts did little to deter the poker, and I lifted my face just enough to slip my right arm out from underneath it and wave it around blindly. That worked just as well as could be expected.

Suddenly, my wrist was grabbed, and I guessed that was my cue to look up.

Grey eyes blinked, ten inches from my own.

"Ty!" I choked. "You're al- you're awake!"

Suddenly, I was enveloped in a hug, which I managed to return.

"You didn't think I wasn't going to make it, did you?" she asked, playfully, obviously having noticed my slip.

"Not for a second," I lied.

Suddenly, everything seemed a little less grim, and I felt a bit less tired.

"Ty," I said to her shoulder-blades, as she made no move to pull away, "don't do that again, okay?"

"I'll try."

"Seriously, it was really inconsiderate of you." She pulled back, just before I managed to pull a straight face. "We had to go through a lot of trouble, and I'd appreciate it if you would bear that in mind before" I couldn't do it, and in the end had to resort to looking like I'd bitten on a lemon before descending into a spurt of laughter.

Ty Lee just shook her head despairingly.

"But seriously, Sokka, how long was I out? What's happened?"

I sighed, and straightened my hair out- it seemed she had seen fit to undo my wolf tail, for reasons of her own.

"You've been out a whole day and two nights, and right now things are... grim."

But we can take them. Now, we can take them.

–

Fuck you. _Fuck. You_.

Okay, back up.

So we'd woken up Katara, and she'd seemed genuinely pleased that Ty Lee was up and about again, which had just put me in a better mood, so we'd all gone downstairs for breakfast which had been good and we'd gotten everything together and we'd just sat down at a table getting ready to start some _real_ planning, when...

Trouble rolled into town. Again.

Three of them down the main street, and I was willing to bet two of them covering the courtyard. The leader- the firebender, of course, sat high in his saddle, and we'd gone upstairs for a better view when he started speaking.

"People of Xian Zai, hear me!" he bellowed. People started peering cautiously through windows, and he waited until he had a proper audience before continuing.

What was this about?

"The war has been kind to you, people of Xian Zai! ...You do not believe me, I understand. But believe me when I say I have seen the true horrors this war has wrought." There was no humour in his voice, every line on his face deadly serious. "But that may change, and not by our hand." He sat high in his saddle, and held his arms wide. "You have been _infiltrated_, by foreign elements. Water Tribe have come to your village, people of Xian Zai. I tell you this to warn you, for I have my orders, and these state that any enemy warriors must be brought to battle. They are hiding behind you, people of Xian Zai, and I have my orders."

He let that sink in, and I began to see what he was doing.

You _bastard_.

"And this is why I am telling you, people of Xian Zai. I have no wish for unnecessary bloodshed. These are violent times, and I will not deny that I am a violent man, but you people have done nothing to deserve the wrath of the Fire Nation, and I have no desire to bring it upon you.

"So I warn you now, people of Xian Zai, that I can not delay for much longer. By noon tomorrow, I must bring the Water Tribe to battle. If they are still within the village by then, I must apologise most profusely in advance for the destruction that shall be brought upon you, by both parties."

He spurred his komodo-rhino, and turned to leave, but not without a parting riposte.

"Think on that, people of Xian Zai."

Bastard bastard _bastard weasel._

"What was that all about?" Katara asked, watching the men leave.

"He didn't get cocky. He doesn't want to give us a fighting chance." He's doing _exactly_ what I would have done in his situation, and I'm kicking myself for not having thought of it first. "He knows that if he has to flush us out of here, he's going to run the risk of losing two to three men. So instead, he's getting the villagers to do it for us. He's betting that the civilians are going to be more scared of him than they are inspired or whatever by us, and I think he's on to something." We have to move, have to dig in, have to do _something_, or they'll run us out of town within the hour, and on foot we'll last five minutes.

"So what do we do?" she asked, getting worried now.

What do we do?

I have no idea. My barrel has chunks gouged out of the bottom.

Oh, fuck it.

I turned around, with what must have been the light of madness in my eyes, because both of them took a palpable step backwards.

"What do we do? We _wing_ it."

* * *

**Now I just have this insatiable urge to write Mai tripping on LSD.**


	53. Filibuster

**Chapter Fifty-Two: Filibuster.**

–

The Guardian.

Aang is leaving today. Hooray. I'm looking forward to carrying my own bags and so forth. It'll be _fun_.

Plus, it looks like he's going to be ditching us in the middle of the _woods_! Thanks, Aang! You're a pal.

…You know, I don't think that the word 'pal' has _ever _been used seriously. I mean, it's automatically a sarcasm word. Was there a time when people would use that word and mean it, ever?

…Wait a moment, Aang's three thousand years old or something, isn't he?

What we have here is a unique opportunity. I'd better make the most of it.

–

The Assassin.

It took less than ten minutes for the people to start gathering outside.

It wasn't a mob, not yet. No one was sure enough of themselves just yet, no one was quite psyched up yet. In essence, it was an entire crowd of people ready to be the second man to cross the dirt line.

That gave us time, but the problem was it only took one man to grow a pair and then we'd be in trouble.

There were about thirty to fifty of them, almost the entire village, I expected. But they'd made a big mistake.

The children had come to watch. Probably didn't know what was going on at all. Just attracted to the fact that something was happening.

No parent wants to start a fight in front of their kids. So advantage: me.

Okay, how to do this. Perhaps if I-

Oh, the hell with it. Let's just go out there and see what happens next.

Taking a deep breath and a firm grip on my swordstick, I swung the door open and walked out into the road, Katara and Ty Lee staying inside, as requested by my hasty hand waving. I think I can take this. Besides, in case I can't, then at least they're out of the way of any thrown rocks.

"Okay," I began, trying to do my best to look unimpressed, "who's in charge here?"

Brilliant. That threw them. They glanced at each other, looking confused.

I sighed, long and theatrical, and shook my head.

"Okay, so who's the lawman around here?"

A voice from the back of the crowd spoke up.

"Dead. Those Fire Nation bastards killed him."

Ah, a friend. Sounds like a young man, good and angry at our tormentors.

"I see." I walked up and down the front rank of the villagers, making sure all eyes were still on me. Some actually backed up when I walked by, which I took as a positive sign. Sort of.

"You," I said, pointing at a middle aged man with a hoe, of all the various implements that could be used to kill someone. I mean, you'd get more out of a rake. "You're going to be the liaison here. Come on."

"Me? But-"

"Oh, come _on_. I don't have all day, you know." I was getting a kick out of this. Keeping everyone just confused enough that they go along with it just until they can get their footing again, which of course will be never. "Now, let's talk. You're here, because?"

"You heard," he grumbled, but didn't look me in the eye.

"You mean the thinly-veiled Fire Nation threat? I'd thought you'd have had a bit more backbone than to fall for that."

Ooh, wrong thing to say. From my peripheral vision, I can see people getting ticked off at that, raising makeshift weapons again.

"Well, that's easy for _you_ to say, Mister Water Tribe, with your training and your fancy weapons."

Oh, let's just run with it.

"Yeah. It is easy for me to say. It's also easy for me to say this: send a messenger hawk to Chin village, and there will be an Earth Kingdom force here within a day, and you'll be free of the Fire Nation for good."

Not enough to convince Mr. Hoe here, but others are starting to exchange glances.

"We get by without causing a fuss just fine," he retorted, but I was flying now, propelled by sheer force of bullshit.

"Oh, sure, you can get by right now. But it's not going to last. You step out of line with the Fire Nation, and they'll grind you into the dust. But if you take a stand here and now, with our help, you can be free." Or all dead before the sun sets tomorrow. "You'll be able to move around again, leave the village for as long as you want, without anyone bothering to keep track of you in case you're a rebel." Most of these people have never gone more than fifty miles from their village in their lives, and probably never will. But it's the _idea _of freedom of movement that's important. "Now is the most important decision of your lives." My voice raised, no longer pretending to simply address Hoe Man. "Are you going to just sit back and survive on the scraps the Fire Nation throw to you, or are you going to take charge of your own lives?" Now I sound like a drunk version of Aang.

I stand still, waiting for their decision.

–

The Guardian.

"So, Aang."

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering about something, and I thought you could help me out."

"Sure, what is it?"

"I need to know if anyone ever in your experience used the following words and phrases seriously. You know, back before the whole thing where you somehow skipped forward a hundred years."

"...Sure, that sounds fun. What have you got?"

"Chum."

"...Nope."

"Huh. Pal."

"...Actually, I used to hear that one in the Fire Nation a few times."

"Swell guy."

"...I think I heard a pirate say that on the way to the North Pole, actually."

"Oh rats."

"...I think I heard Bumi say that one time."

"You knew Bumi? As in King Bumi? …Never mind, task at hand. Attaboy."

"Oh yeah. Kuzon said that _all_ the time. It got kind of annoying after a while."

"Baloney."

"...Yeah, that got used now and again."

"Heebie-Jeebies."

"Nope."

"Jeepers creepers."

"Nuh-uh."

"Keen. As in, 'that's so keen'."

"Never."

"Hip to the jive."

"...What?"

"Screaming meemies?"

"Mai, what are you talking about?"

"Zozzled."

"Okay, now you're just making things up."

–

The Assassin.

I swaggered back into the inn, feeling very pleased with myself. I'd bought us day's worth of more time, and persuaded the villagers to busy themselves with various subversive activities that wouldn't actually have any effect, such as stockpiling food. After all, a bunch of untrained, unarmed peasants running around? Recipe for chaos. And not in a good way. I mean, sure, a target-rich environment would be kind of helpful, especially since our enemies stand out a lot more than we do, but I get the feeling that using the locals as glorified human shields wouldn't go down too well with the others.

But the token revolution was keeping them busy and their minds occupied, and if we did have to run, then our opponents might be too busy re-establishing their authority, and we could slip away.

Just a thought.

Katara exhaled. She, Ty Lee and the bartender were scattered around the room.

"So, what now?"

"We need to find a messenger hawk. Send word to the soldiers in Chin. If we're lucky, they'll get here by tomorrow morning. Otherwise, we'll have to move out to meet them and take our chances." That was the plan I had essentially dictated, as subtly as I could. I didn't have the talent some people (Azula, when it suited her, was a master of it) of telling people what to do while persuading them that it was really all their idea all along. So instead I had to resort to some overblown speeches that I didn't believe a word of, coupled with a few veiled threats (now those I _am_ good at). They weren't _scared _of me, I don't think, just... wary. They'd figured out that I'm not going to be run out of town without a fight. With any luck, it'd last long enough.

I'm not going to get much sleep tonight, am I?

Katara volunteered to go and see if she could rent a hawk from someone, obviously glad to have something to do, but she wasn't so eager that she forgot to pester Ty Lee into getting some rest before leaving.

So I was by myself.

"I saw what you did there."

Well, not _quite _by myself.

"Very...impressive. Although I have to wonder how much of it you actually believe."

I shrugged.

"Anything's possible."

"I notice you didn't mention the possibility of failure. Or what would happen even if you won here. Don't you know who those men _are_?"

I glanced over to the innkeeper.

"Do you?"

"They're the Rough Rhinos."

I'm lost.

"...So, they've got a snazzy team name. Is that supposed to be intimidating? Because it could just as easily be applied to a sports team. Or a dance troupe, really. Or a singing group."

"They served under the Dragon of the West. They're known for conquering entire towns on their own. Their leader is one of the most ruthless men in the entire Fire Nation. They're _legends_. And you've set these people up against them."

"Hey, don't try to pin the blame on me here. The other guy"

"Colonel Mongke"

"Yeah, he's the one who dragged them into this in the first place. Besides, if everything goes according to plan, they won't have to fight."

"Even if you kill them, they will be missed. The Fire Nation will investigate their disappearance. You will be bringing the wrath of the Fire Nation down upon this whole area."

I shrugged.

"It's a war. That's what happens. Hey, don't blame me, it wasn't _my_ side who started it."

I wondered if that might get a reaction. Nope.

"Besides, you're all doom-and-gloom. Nothing's certain, you know. The Fire Nation are on the back foot right now, I think they'll have more on their mind than a bunch of marauders, no matter how alliterative their team name is."

–

* * *

**This has the distinct honour of being one of the worst chapters I have written in quite some time. Seriously, it was the most awkward of bastards, painful to get rid of like passing an entire chest of drawers through your digestive system, and I'm not sure what point any of it is trying to make, like second-rate French arthouse cinema.**

**Also, what's with the similes?  
**


	54. Bring on the Night

**Chapter Fifty-Four: Bring on the Night.**

–

The Assassin.

I had dozed through the rest of the afternoon, and took the long watch again. I was getting used to staying up most of the night by now, so it didn't bother me that much any more. Tea eased the transition to a creature of the night too.

The message had been sent, the villagers had been kept busy, and it was too late to make a break for it. Now it's just time to wait.

We had decided that separate rooms were too dangerous, so Katara was bunking down with Ty Lee. I was in the bar again, in the dark again, just... listening. Again. And occasionally having a cup of tea. Tea was helpful.

This room was good. All the main corridors lead onto it, meaning that as long as I'm very quiet with my breathing, I can hear a lot. The wind blowing through the cracks in the building, the occasional flutter of a nocturnal insect. Occasionally, I could even hear the rustle of bedsheets through the open door down the hall, as someone turned over in their sleep.

I tried not to think about anything but what I was hearing. Last night I had been lax, and we'd been lucky. I couldn't rely on luck again.

A creak, from upstairs. Too quiet for a footstep, probably the building settling.

Five minutes later, a buzzing, as a fly drifts crazily through the room, before settling down somewhere.

A minute later, the wind blows down the hall.

A creak. Another.

I'm on my feet before I know what I'm doing.

_The wind picked up because someone opened the window!_

I whirl down the corridor, my short sword materialising in my hand. I should be quiet, but there's no time, no time at all.

I burst into the room. There's a figure, looming over one of the beds. Steel flashes in it's hand.

It takes me two seconds to disarm them. Another two to twist their right arm behind them at a painful angle. Half a second, and my sword is at their throat. My foot kicks the knife under Ty Lee's bed.

The two sleep on.

A gasp of pain, and I actually examine my new captive.

It's a man. About twenty, best guess in this light.

"How many of you are there?" I ask.

He grimaces, and struggles. Not smart. I tell him as much.

"You going to kill me?" Defiance, and fear. He's certainly no Fire Nation commando.

"Well, that all depends. How many of you are there?"

"Just me. I came alone." He's trying to keep the fear from his voice, and for the most part, he's successful. For the most part.

But he's telling the truth, I think.

"Hmm. Well, that's good to know." I don't move.

"So... what now?" he manages.

A novel idea crosses my mind.

"Well, you've told me no one's going to come looking for you right now, I'm here with a sword, it's the middle of the night, the desert is wide out back, so..."

How about we solve this without resorting to violence?

"Would you like some tea?"

–

Drinks are good for diplomatic talks. They give people something to do with their hands, prevents fidgeting.

Reinforced tea helps calm people down a surprising amount, too.

My short sword is across my knees, but the table keeps that from his view. In the light, it seemed I was wrong earlier- he actually looked closer to my age. Just tall.

I grinned inwardly, recognising the look of stoic defiance on this guy's face.

"So," I said, drinking unconcernedly from my cup. "How are you doing?" I tried not to grin.

He stared, wide-eyed. Oh, I was definitely having flashbacks.

"What?"

"How're you doing? I mean, how's life?"

In the face of utter confusion, he chose to remain silent. Hardly surprising, really.

"Um..."

I waved my hand, silencing him.

"Okay, enough chit-chat, let's get down to business. I assume you aren't a particularly overenthusiastic barber with a truly terrible business plan, so what were you doing here?"

He avoids my eyes.

"You know."

Oh, I do, buddy. Three months ago I would have gutted you like a fish where you stood. Let's see what's changed.

"Assume I don't. Enlighten me."

"I didn't fall for all that bullcrap you were telling everyone earlier, about how we were going to get rid of the Fire Nation for good. You can't do it. There's only three of you."

"So you were going to..." go on. Say it. Grow a pair.

"I was... I was... I don't _know_ what I was going to do! I just know that I'm not going to let my family get killed because of some oh-so charismatic Water Tribesman!"

"So you were going to murder two unarmed teenage girls in their sleep?" I asked, surprised at how much effort it took to stay nonchalant.

"I- I didn't _want _to, I thought maybe I could hold one of you hostage, threaten you to get out of town, or something, but... I would have. I _would_." He's angry now, daring me to call him out on his determination.

"I hear you, buddy."

"You- you do?" Wow, the guy sounds so _lost_.

"You have _no_ idea. Weird feeling, isn't it? The first time you realise that you're weighing lives, that _this_ person is worth so much more than _that_ person. It's scary when you realise just how far you'll go to protect the people you love, isn't it?"

"Y- yeah," he stammers, but there's something familiar in his brown eyes, and it's making me uneasy.

I don't want to have this conversation any more. It's not fun any more.

"Then you'll know I'm serious when I tell you that if you come anywhere near either of them again, I will kill you without a moment's hesitation. I will kill any number of you to keep them safe. Do you understand me?"

He backs up, tripping over his stool.

"Yes."

"Good. Now leave."

He did. With remarkable speed.

–

The Guardian.

The dawn came, and for possibly the first time in the history of ever, I was up to see it. No real reason, I was just up.

So was Zuko, but that was just coincidence. Everyone else was sleeping on.

"Morning," he said, sounding abominably perky.

"Rnf," I replied.

"Nice morning, isn't it?"

"Hmn."

"Yeah," he carried on, unperturbed. "I have a good feeling about today. I mean, Aang's got to go, but I really could do with stretching my legs anyway."

Oh Great and Wise Lord Agni, if you in your infinite wisdom have any mercy for this ignorant and wayward servant, please, descend from the heavens in Your chariot of parrots and smite all early risers with Your seven rays of light.

No, I don't know why Lord Agni decided that the most appropriate beasts of burden to pull his chariot should be parrots, but then I'm not an immortal Fire Spirit, am I? You might as well ask why he has seven tongues and only two heads.

–

The Assassin.

"Sokka! …You look like you stayed up all night."

I glared at the giant talking pink blur with Ty Lee's voice.

"Something like that," I replied, guardedly, in case I was talking to something else instead. Like a potted plant. It doesn't do to take chances.

"Sokka..."

"I'm fine." I blinked, and everything came back into focus. "Is Katara awake?"

She shook her head. "Still sleeping."

"Okay. How's your back?"

She beamed. "Fine, thanks. It was kinda painful yesterday, but today I feel great!" She twirled for inspection, and I couldn't help but smile. It seemed like it would take a lot more than a life-threatening injury to keep Ty Lee down.

But I wasn't going to let that theory get tested again.

–

The Guardian.

Aang departed by a river. Apparently, we had to follow it until it meandered to the south, and keep walking until we found a path that would take us out of this forest. Luckily, I had the map.

Everyone else waved until the bison was out of sight. I was too busy wondering how long it would take for the strap of this bag to start digging into my shoulder. I'd give it ten minutes at the outside.

I hate hiking.

–

The Assassin.

"See anything?" I asked, as Katara used my spyglass to look out of the first floor south windows.

"No, Sokka. If I see something, I'll _tell_ you, alright?" She was getting annoyed, so I wandered off.

The morning was wearing on, and there was no sign of any Earth Kingdom forces. I was getting worried.

Ty Lee was in place. I had been firm, and had not allowed her to wait until our enemies showed up to get in position on another rooftop. I had made her go up there as soon as the sun was up, and no manner of wheedling had managed to convince me otherwise. I was as surprised as she was.

But Ty Lee was our ace in the hole. As far as these guys knew, she was dead already, and I saw no reason to correct them ahead of time.

I figured, if it came to it, we could take them without assistance, if Ty Lee got the drop on them. I didn't want to have to, though. If I'm going to win, it might as well be overwhelmingly. It's safer that way.

I sat down next to a window on the ground floor, my back to the wall, hidden from the street, and began to wait.

–

The sun was high. No sign of anyone. Too hot to think.

–

Getting hotter.

–

Really, really hot now. Need water. Don't want to bother anyone, though. I should have got some earlier, but to get up and move now could quite literally be suicide.

I'll survive.

–

Noon. No sign of anyone.

_Bugger_.

"They're here!"

My heart jumped, and I looked up the stairwell where Katara was keeping watch on the south.

It hadn't been her who shouted.

Oh _no_.

* * *

**I can haz oneshot? ...Why, I do believe I can.**


	55. If the Boys Want to Fight

**Chapter Fifty-Five: If the Boys Want to Fight, You'd Better Let Them.**

–

The Assassin.

They lined the street, so proud, so cocksure. But only three of them. The other two were nowhere to be seen.

Damnit, damnit, damnit.

What, Sokka, did you expect them to throw away their biggest advantage by sticking to one cluster? Why did you think that, Sokka? Are you stupid or something?

Okay, let's deal with this.

"Katara," I murmured in her direction, up the stairs. She turned to listen. "Go out the back door. Look for the two that aren't out front. It'll be the-" I glanced out of the window for half a second- "the archer and the guy without a shirt on. Ty and I will handle the others." I hope we will, anyway.

She paused, then nodded.

"Good luck."

With that, she turned, and vanished down the hallway. A second later, and I heard the scrape of a window opening, and the distant thud of Katara jumping out the window.

Well. Alright then.

Not stopping to wonder about Katara's unorthodox methods, I figured we had maybe three seconds before the Rhinos got bored and came in to get us. That was what I was waiting for. In this confined building, the advantage was mine, especially with Ty Lee cutting off their retreat.

Three seconds passed.

...

Five seconds.

Seven seconds.

Twelve sec- oh come on. This is getting ridiculous.

I peered at the window again.

Oh.

I see.

–

The Guardian.

We leave the river behind us, and follow the almost invisible path through the woods. The vegetation is thick and irritating, so our progress is slow. I miss flying.

No one's saying much; it's too humid for conversation. Idly, I wonder if this kind of weather is normal for Earth Kingdom summers.

If so, I'm probably going to need some more changes of clothes, because I don't see any laundry services around here.

–

The Assassin.

Their leader has moved towards a house, quite deliberately in my field of vision.

He's going to set it on fire. He's planning to draw us out, obviously.

Dick.

Well, he overestimated my compassion a bit.

There's an unpleasant niggling in the back of my brain as he gets ready to bend. I try to ignore it. After all, I'm Sokka, the cold-hearted bastard who's only concern is The Mission.

But... what if Ty intervenes? We'd lose the element of surprise.

Oh, the hell with it. Let's get to it.

I draw my long sword, and drop the stick sheath as I charge out the door. The colonel spins towards me, and I'm sure I have the attention of the other two, but I suddenly drop into a slide, throwing off everyone and getting me right next to his rhino, which is still standing alongside the house he was about to destroy.

I grab the saddle, pulling myself upright while simultaneously slashing right through the cinch of the saddle with my sword, scoring a long cut on the belly of the beast. The creature bucked in pain, and I was almost trampled to death for my pains, but the saddle slipped, free of its tether, and the colonel fell to the ground.

Good start.

The rhino was looking confused and in pain, and I vaulted over it, using it as a shield from the other two riders that would undoubtedly be after my neck. On this side of the beast, the colonel had picked himself up. He glared at me, but nodded.

"Not bad."

Why thank you.

I close the gap between us before he can fill it with fire, and swing my sword overhead. He catches it smoothly on his jagged gauntlet, and yanks it out of my hand. Undaunted, my short sword springs into my left hand, and slices at his belly.

_Fuck_, he's fast. He grabs my wrist, twisting my hand harmlessly away from him, and gathers fire around his right fist.

I snatch at his forearm with my free hand, forcing it up and away from my head. It's unpleasantly hot.

So suddenly we're grappling, struggling, and he's got the advantage of height and weight. I can't kick him, can't afford to lose my footing-

There's a sudden shout from the other side of the worried rhino.

"What the- get off me!"

Ty Lee has entered the fray.

Sensing his momentary confusion, I let go of his hand, slamming my forehead into his nose with a very satisfactory crunch.

He stumbles back, but gives a sharp whistle, and his mount is spinning around towards him, and the tail catches me in the midriff, sending me crashing into a wall.

Ow. Ow. Ow.

Winded, I struggle to breathe as I pull myself up onto my knees. My enemy is mounted again, and behind him I see a pink blur leaping as two more soldiers vainly try to kill her. Katara is nowhere to be seen, but the background noise and fact that her two opponents have yet to appear reassures me.

Of course, I should be paying attention to the murderous firebender. He spurs his beast towards me, but I fall back, into an alleyway, and he is unable to follow me. Not much of an obstacle for a man who can shoot fire from his hands, but an obstacle nonetheless.

High ground. I've got to get to higher ground.

I fly out the other end of the alley, a plume of flame at my heels, and swerve left, finding myself on another street. I quickly make use of a convenient barrel and balcony, and scramble onto a roof.

Idly, it strikes me how empty the place has gotten. Presumably the whole village is hiding out in someone's basement or something. I'll say this for earthbenders, they are convenient when you need a bunker in a hurry.

But back to the matter at hand-

…

Where'd he go?

Oh, this can't be good.

Should have been paying attention, Sokka.

No matter. After all, how hard can it be to hide a komodo-rhino?

I glanced around. Ty Lee was still keeping Armoured and Dressing Gown occupied, and Katara's battle was still out of sight. Other than that, no one.

Oh dear.

-

I thought I heard something.

The ground- roof, it's a roof, Sokka- beneath my feet began to rumble.

Oh no. Please, no.

Before I could even think, the roof beneath me burst open, and the horned head of a komodo rhino slammed into the air, bucking and tossing and catching me right in the chest as I was flung to the ground.

_Ow_.

–

Ribs broken. Right shoulder dislocated. Head hurting. On the floor, though. Sword on the ground, right in front of me. It's a start.

Hey, my boomerang. Now where did that come from?

Snatching at the weapons, I forced myself to ignore the pain and stand, because the house behind me-

Exploded into fragments of wood as the komodo-rhino tore through the wall like so much paper, sending me rolling forwards and crying out in pain.

Ty Lee heard me. As I stumbled to my feet, I could see her turn from her fight, and start to run towards me.

No. Bad move. Don't do that.

Seriously, don't do that.

Full Armour was fiddling with something. Something small and grey. Involves sparks. He's about to throw it.

A bomb. Oh no.

I barely know what I'm doing. My right hand is beneath me, pushing me upwards and the pain is making white spots appear but my boomerang's in my left hand and I throw and it pinwheels through the air and connects.

The bomb tumbles from Full Armour's numb fingers. My arm no longer cooperates, and I hit the ground.

I don't see any more. I hear the explosion, though, and I feel the heat.

And I see the body hitting the ground, just in front of me.

–

The Guardian.

Midday, and we made camp. It was too hot not to. We would get moving again in the late afternoon, when it's cooler.

Seriously tired of this 'walking' business now, guys. The novelty's worn off.

For some bizarre reason, everyone laughed when I told them that.

–

The Assassin.

Ty Lee.

She's not moving.

Get up. Please, get up.

My hand stretches against the pain, straining for her.

There.

A flutter.

She's awake.

She's on her feet in an instant, only the faintest of grimaces on her face, and she's stooping, pulling me up. I try to tell her that she's yanking me around by a dislocated shoulder, but the face I make is eloquent enough, I'm sure.

So I'm on my feet, and Ty's pressing my long sword into my left hand, and propping me up with her body.

But we're surrounded. The firebender is behind us, and Dressing Gown and Full Armour (and wow, that must be some _really_ good armour) are in front, all mounted.

We're dead.

"_Attack!_"

We started at the cry, and turned to look at it's source.

Aha. The infantry has arrived.

Can I sit down, then?

The figures charge, and our enemies whirl to face them, but they're suddenly gone, scattered down side alleys and up rooftops, and all of a sudden they're beside us, forming a defensive block around us.

The Kyoshi Warriors.

The Kyoshi Warriors. Wasn't expecting them. Maybe I should have actually paid proper attention to the dispatches.

Or maybe I should have stopped to think for three seconds. We're in the south east. We're supposed to meet an Earth Kingdom force here. We're ahead of the main armies. The only fighting force of any repute around here is?

Sokka, you never cease to amaze me with the depths of your _idiocy._

"Sorry to keep you waiting," one quips, her face half turned towards me as the Rhinos turn around, pale as the grave. "So, who are these clowns?"

"The Rough Rhinos, and there's two of them behind the inn, fighting my sister," I replied, in one breath.

She nodded, unphased.

"Li Li, Chun, Min, go," she ordered, and three split off from the group.

"Now," she said, sizing up the remaining three, looking somewhat worse for wear, now I had time to look at them- Dressing Gown's left arm hung limply, forcing him to hold his nagainata like a lance, the colonel had blood flowing liberally from his nose, and he was riding bareback, and Full Armour was actually not looking at us straight- he was obviously still dazed from the explosion- "let's finish this."

The rest of the fight was very short indeed. Even considering.

–

The Guardian.

"Come on, Toph," I said. "It's not far, and we might as well."

"Oh, alright, fine," she grumbled, and off we went.

We were going to see a ruined village, torn up by a previous Earth King to let the forest grow. It sounded interesting enough, but the reason I was going was because Zuko looked like he wanted to ask Iroh something, but didn't want to ask it in front of everybody. Everybody in this case consisting of me and Toph.

I'm pretty good at deciphering expressions.

So, off we were going. Hopefully, this little detour won't last too long, and we can get back to what we're supposed to be doing soon.

* * *

**Goodbye, Xian Zai. Good riddance to a boring plot tumour.**


	56. Advance Warning

**Chapter Fifty-Six: Advance Warning.**

–

The Assassin.

Oh great, just what I needed. _More_ teenage non-lethal fighters. Seriously, what's so hard to grasp about this concept? In war, _people get killed_. I think that's built in to the very _definition_ of a war. But nooo, everyone has to be all 'we don't kill our enemies, Sokka', 'I'm psychologically traumatised, Sokka', 'I'm the _Avatar_, Sokka, so I fling my enemies off very tall buildings but it's the _ground_ that kills them, not me. Avatars _never_ kill people, and Air Nomads don't either'. Yeah. Look how far that got the Air Nomads.

Besides, these girls carry _swords_, for crying out loud. If you carry a lethal weapon but then aren't prepared to use the damn thing, _then what's the point of carrying it in the first place_?

Oh, my head hurts.

–

The Guardian.

The ruins were actually quite interesting, I thought. Certainly more so than I had expected.

Toph didn't agree.

"So, what's the _real_ reason you dragged me out here?" she asked.

"You should always appreciate your history. Here's an actually quite large village that the forty-second Earth King just evicted everyone from, simply so he could have a better forest to hunt in. That sort of behaviour is positively Fire Lord-ish."

"Yeah, yeah, I had history lessons too."

"You should never snub the opportunity to witness these sorts of things first hand, you know," I answered mildly, examining a tree that had grown up right through the shattered roof of one building. It was... pleasingly anarchic, evocative of the most whimsical kind of nihilism, although I thought the squirrel-monkey perched in its branches was overdoing the message a bit.

"Mai, stop bluffing. It's not working."

"Who says I'm bluffing?" I asked.

"Okay, stop wasting my time, then."

I shook my head. "It's pretty egocentric to assume that this is anything to do with you."

"Just _get to the point_," she cried, throwing up her hands in melodramatic frustration.

Does _everyone_ I know have to be so high-strung? It's very tiring.

"I just thought that Zuko looked like he wanted to talk to his uncle, that's all," I answered, getting a little irritated now. "No need to get so worked up over it."

"Oh." She seemed mollified by that, but I knew it couldn't last.

"So..." Yep, here it comes, "you told him yet?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Her pestering was beginning to get on my nerves.

"Why is it so important to _you_?" I'll admit, I snapped. No one has ever accused me of having an even temper.

"Because I think it's stupid of you _not_ to. And besides, you two would probably be good for each other." She's so... _assured_ in her naivete that I can barely stand it.

I rolled my eyes.

"Well, I'm sorry, but this time I don't think I'm going to bow to your _obviously_ superior experience in the matter."

I think I hit a nerve there. For a second I was afraid that she was going to attack me, and then I _would_ be in trouble.

"There's no call for that," she replied. "But if you're afraid to admit how you feel to him-"

Oh it's on now.

"Afraid? _Afraid_? I'm afraid" I find time for puns, even now "that you've got the wrong idea, Toph. It's nothing to do with me not wanting to take a chance, there's no chance to be _taken_. You felt my heartbeat when I talk to him, correct?" I didn't wait for a response. "That's only half of it. What happens to _his_ heart?"

There was no response. That was response enough.

I felt my hopes sink, oddly. Of course, I had known for as long as I had known him that Zuko wasn't interested in me in the slightest, but hope is an insidious bastard, and it had been easy to imagine that somehow Zuko was as affected by me as I was by him.

But that was ridiculous, of course.

Toph had gotten over her moment of stunned silence (much to my chagrin) and was shouting. Again.

"So that's _it_? You're just giving up? You're not even going to _try_?"

"Look, as long as Zuko's not lying dead in some gutter, that's good enough for now. I have other things to worry about." I glanced at the sky. "Now come on, I suppose we'd better get back to camp."

–

The Assassin.

I wandered back into the bar, stretching experimentally. Katara had wanted me to rest another night, so she could give me another proper healing session. I had treated that idea with all the thought it deserved. She had replied with the politeness that my response had warranted, and I had eventually conceded that I could do with an hour's nap before the blood started dripping down the walls. A patch job on my wounds would do fine, and I would heal up naturally soon enough. After all, we've lost enough time as it is, and if we want to catch up to the schedule we won't have another opportunity for a long healing session before I'm back to fighting fitness anyway.

Ty Lee was sitting cross-legged on a stool, talking to the innkeeper.

Yes, she was sitting cross legged. As in, cross legged like you would sit on the floor. But on a stool.

Don't ask me. It's just part of the Ty Lee package. You hardly notice it after a while.

"So, how long have you- Sokka! Feeling better?"

"I've got a headache, but nothing major. We ready to leave?"

"You haven't paid yet," the bartender interjected.

"Ah. Of course. Ty, go make sure everyone's ready to roll, would you? Thanks."

As she made her way outside, humming as she went, I fished around for the money pouch.

"Your friend was just telling me that I reminded her of someone," the innkeeper commented while I wondered which laden pocket I had put the stupid thing in. "I told her that that happens a lot."

I had to contain a snort of disbelief. Sure, there a lot of six-foot tall, obviously Fire Nation, well-educated women around here? I found the pouch, finally.

"Anyway, she was kind enough to fill me in on the details of what exactly is going on in the world right now- we don't get a lot of news out here, unless we get someone to mail it from a different, less isolated town. But anyway, I will certainly be following the exploits of your group with great interest."

Yes, yes, very cryptic. Somewhat spoiled by the facts that a: I don't know what you're trying to get at, and b: I don't really care. "So, how much do I owe you?"

"Ten gold pieces."

_What?_

"But-"

"Nine copper pieces for the rooms, nine for breakfasts, twenty-seven for lunches and dinners, and you blew up my bar."

"Oh. Yeah. Forgot about that."

I considered arguing that I had already paid her three gold pieces, but I couldn't be bothered in the end. I paid up.

Hey, it's not like it's my money. Azula is still funding this whole trip, though I'm not sure for how much longer. Money bag's getting kind of light.

–

The Guardian.

It was getting dark, and we should have been back by now. The sun was almost down.

Idly, I wondered if we'd actually make any progress before camping for the night. After all, the path is hard enough to make out in broad daylight, let alone the middle of the night.

Toph was very quiet, for which I was thankful, and the sounds of the forest- that is, worryingly noisy chittering, rustling, squeaking, and occasionally the screams of the dying- wafted through the air.

I shall never know why some people consider this relaxing.

So we walked, tramping through the ferns, guided more by the fact that we were retracing our footsteps than the overgrown footpath we had followed in full daylight.

And then suddenly something was wrong.

I've always had excellent hearing, as well as (I say without the taint of modesty) phenomenal vision. It's part of what makes me such a good aim.

And something was off. Just slightly, but it was as though there was a... _hole_ in the sounds of the forest. Like there was a patch animals were avoiding, for some reason.

It screamed danger.

"Something wrong?" Toph asked.

"No one's nearby, are they?"

She paused.

"No one that I can feel. You getting spooked?"

I blinked.

"No. Let's keep moving."

We walked on, quieter than before. But there was... something still that was just wrong about this whole scenario.

Two minutes later.

To our right, almost behind me, a group of birds took off, spooked by a-

shape moving in the blackness don't react don't react just adjust your stance as subtly as you can and take a knife and it's got a spear or something and...

It's a bow, but I'm not the target.

Toph has moved on, not noticing or not caring that I just stopped dead, and the figure is taking aim right at her. Why can't she sense this guy?

The trees. She can't see things in the treetops.

The figure looses-

Faster than thought, my first knife flows from my hand into the air, the throw smooth and natural like it's what I was _born _to do.

It collides with the arrow in mid-air.

The second knife hits the figure right between the eyes. He hits the undergrowth with a crash and a rustle. But not a pop, because that would be weird.

"What the- what was _that_?" Toph is flabbergasted. Or confused. But I like flabbergasted better. It rolls of the tongue.

"That," I inform her, walking over to the body and hauling it up by the lapels to find out what exactly it is I am going to inform her of, "is... is... a buh, a buh..."

"What? What just happened? …Is that a _body_?" Toph pays no attention to my increasingly panicked gibbering.

"Oh yeah. It's a body alright. And it gets better." I turned to face her, and grinned (two utterly useless gestures) as I let the corpse's shirt drop, the figure's tattooed face getting caught in the moonlight as the body slumped back before being swallowed by the ferns. "Yu Yan."


	57. Impatient Hunter

**Chapter Fifty-Seven: Impatient Hunter.**

–

The Guardian.

Panic has a stimulating effect of the sort caffeine _wishes_ it could rival.

We fairly flew back to camp, imaginary bowmen hunting us from every shadow, not slowing even as we hit the circle of light that radiated from the camp fire.

Zuko jumped up when we came whirling in, and rushed towards us. I was pleased with this development- it gave me something convenient to lean on while I inhaled the atmosphere.

"Mai? Toph? Is something wrong?" He shifted to accommodate the fact that I was collapsing on his shoulder.

I was slowly recovering from the fire in my lungs, and felt able to explain the situation. I stripped it down to the bare bones, though, to conserve valuable breathing time.

"We're all gonna die."

Toph clarified.

"There's some... I don't actually know what's going on at all. Mai killed someone hiding in a tree" and wasn't she deliberately blasé when she said that? "and then went crazy. Something about a Yo Yan or something."

She tried to clarify, anyway.

Zuko went pale. "Yu Yan?" And that was real fear in his voice. The Yu Yan are _scary _bastards.

I nodded, and reluctantly stood up, no longer leaning against him.

"Yep."

He started to turn towards his uncle, but suddenly stopped. And then something happened.

There was a visible change. Something in the way he stood.

"Alright. Toph, you're in charge of covering our tracks. Mai, keep an eye on the treetops. Uncle, could you help me get the tents down? We need to be moving inside five minutes."

And, something in the way he talked, too.

Bizarrely, everyone moved off to do what he told us to without question. Possibly because what he suggested actually made sense.

The fire died with a wave of his hand, and I turned my eyes to the treetops.

The guys in charge before, the ones giving the orders, they had always been Sokka and Aang. Well, Sokka made very strong suggestions without any alternatives, and Aang did his best to make sure those suggestions were viable and morally acceptable. Therefore, when Aang had gone with us, he had been the one in charge.

And then he had buggered off, leaving the four of us to muddle along. Until there's a crisis, and the first one to step up to the plate is... _Zuko_?

How did we arrive at that?

Oh well, at least now I'll have a clear person to whine at if we all get killed.

–

The Assassin.

We left the weapons, armour and mounts of the Rough Rhinos in the collective ownership of the village when we tied them up in order to escort into the tender care of the Chin Village militia, in exchange for the fact that we kind of trashed the village a bit.

I'm pretty sure that the rhinos will find themselves being sold pretty quickly and at a very low price, just as soon as these farmers find out that a battle-bred komodo-rhino (a belligerent animal to start with) is _not_ going to take kindly to being harnessed and told to pull a plough.

No one else seemed to have figured that out, though, and I declined to bring it up, just in case it meant we would have to take the hell-beasts with us.

I swear, some days it seems like I'm the only person who thinks things through.

–

The Guardian.

Zuko led us (still getting used to that) into the dark, all our possessions loaded into our bags again. We were actually going somewhat off course, back towards the river.

"I know," he had replied, when I had told him this. "But we don't want them to be able to know our course, and besides, the river's the only landmark other than the path for miles. If we stick to the river for a while, we can either shake them or give us something to put our backs to if it comes to a fight. And then we can head back to the path afterwards."

He had a point. _Zuko_ had a legitimate tactical point. Prince 'Mouths-Off-At-War-Meetings-Without-Thinking' (why yes, I _was_ still sore about that one) Zuko had a sensible, well thought out tactical idea.

What. The. Hell.

I dropped back, decelerating until I was level with Toph.

"You're still blind, right?"

"What?"

"Just checking."

Reality reassured, I returned to my vigil, ruminating on the ramifications of the... the... ridiculous events (I know, I know, I'm stretching for that one) I had recently regarded.

Right.

–

The Assassin.

We pitched camp for the night, with the prisoners paralysed by Ty Lee as soon as they had been fed. She certainly was proving handy.

As we sat around the camp fire (in two distinct groups, of course), I took the time to try and dredge up everything I had ever been taught about Kyoshi Island. You never know, it might be useful to know, and it might help explain the existence of the Kyoshi Warriors.

I doubt it, though.

Anyway.

Ever since the …creation of Kyoshi Island (and privately, I hoped against hope that Aang didn't particularly take after this past incarnation of his. Conquering army destroying the balance of the world? And they're right at my door? Well, why don't I take my _unstoppable power and limitless authority_ and just _run away_? Yeah, _that's_ how you live up to your responsibilities as an arbitrator of peace, justice and balance), they've only nominally been part of the Earth Kingdom. They don't pay taxes, since they aren't asked to pay taxes, although it's tacitly understood that if they ever _were _asked to pay taxes, they'd just declare independence from the Earth Kingdom, something the Earth Kingdom wouldn't be able to deal with right now. Their main export is fish, and they trade with both the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation colonies, although they have yet to actually trade with the Fire Nation proper. Since they're an independent (and wealthy) country in all but name, they don't share a military with the Earth Kingdom, and as such they maintain the Kyoshi Warriors. Because the ideal demographic for your commando unit is _obviously_ fifteen-sixteen year old girls. Of course.

Well, it worked well enough for Azula, I suppose.

Up to a point anyway. Until they started betraying her and she started going crazy or something. It was very unclear what happened to her, actually.

Anyway, anything else worthy of note about Kyoshi Island?

Well, they do live right next to a giant sea serpent (_???_). It's a giant sea serpent. They live next to it. There's really not much more to say there.

So, what does all this tell me? Well, it tells me that the residents of Kyoshi Island are, to put it charitably, a little weird.

But, in all fairness, they _did_ answer the call, when they didn't technically _have_ to. I mean, who was going to enforce that? So I guess I should cut them a little slack for coming to the aid of the Earth Kingdom at all. And well kind of saving our lives. So props there.

Or maybe they're just on the hunt for sacrifices for their sea serpent, and it prefers live food. But that's not too likely. I hope.

–

The Guardian.

There were no sounds of pursuit. Of course, that didn't mean there was no pursuit.

But maybe we weren't being followed right now. Maybe I'd only killed an advance scout, and they'd only just be starting to wonder where he was now. Earthbending was eliminating our tracks, and we had made good distance. So maybe we aren't being followed yet.

Does that mean I can stop twitching and glaring at the treetops?

Guess.

It had been about an hour and a half since we had set off. It was pitch black, and could cover obscured the moon.

So, naturally, this combined with the fact that I was busy keeping watch meant that when the damn forest started attacking me, I was completely unprepared for it.

"Wha!"

"Mai! You alright?"

I pushed myself up, spitting moss.

I _hate _nature.

"Just a tree root. I'm fine."

"Hmm." Zuko looked around. We were steadily moving down a gentle hill towards the river, and were coming to a geographical feature widely known as a 'big pile of rocks'. "I think we should stop here for the night. We're all getting tired-"

"I'm not tired," I explained. "I just tripped."

"Well, I'm tired, and we really shouldn't move on any more during the dark. They have the advantage right now. Toph, you see... or whatever... those big rocks?"

"Yep."

"You think you could maybe hollow them out? Make us a temporary shelter?"

She cracked her knuckles. "No problem."

Zuko nodded. "Good. I'll take first watch. Mai, can you take second?"

I shrugged. "Sure, whatever."

"Thanks."

As we all got settled in the impromptu cave Toph whipped up for us, I noticed an odd look on General Iroh's face when he looked at Zuko.

It was a kind of pride. I think. It looked very parental, in any event.

I don't think I've ever seen that look before. The closest Dad ever got was his amused despair look, the one with the shaking head and the soft chuckle and the 'Oh Mai, whatever shall we do with you' connotations. He employed it only on special occasions, like when I was ten and told one of his 'friends' (as in, handy guy to know at court but Dad actually couldn't stand the guy) that he was being very rude and also he smelled bad. Dad had told me afterwards that it was the funniest thing he had heard in a long time, and promised not to tell Mom. Then there was that other time-

Okay, Mai? New rule. Until you get to N- _Omashu_, here's a little guideline.

_Stop thinking about Mom and Dad._

–

The Assassin.

My musings got me precisely nowhere, but they whiled away the time around the camp fire. Frustratingly soon, it was time to turn in.

I had offered to take first watch, but Katara would have none of it, and I was banished to my tent, far too awake for my liking.

Hopefully, I would get lucky.


	58. I Can Bleed as Well as Anyone

**Chapter Fifty-Eight: I Can Bleed as Well as Anyone.**

–

The Assassin.

The man is frustratingly hard to pin down. Every strike I make is avoided with worrying grace, and when he moves to counter I'm almost caught off guard, falling backwards to avoid it.

Someone's screaming my name, and I'm jerked around, swinging towards the source of the voice.

Ty Lee. Her face is pale, her eyes unfocused, a silent cry on her lips.

She slips, falling forward.

An arrow in her back.

She twists, falls, sliding from her saddle, her body tumbling to the ground to be trampled by clawed feet.

–

The Guardian.

"Mai. Mai wake up. Mai, you said you'd take the second watch."

I turned over, and glared. Zuko was whispering at me, very loudly.

"But I'm so comfortable, here on my lumpy earth floor. I've got a root for a pillow and a rock for a footrest. What more could I want?"

"Mai..." He couldn't complain too loudly, because the other two were still asleep, the lucky things.

"Alright, alright, I'm getting up."

Ow ow ow. Okay, who replaced my spine with a twisted steel pipe while I wasn't looking? Because that's not funny.

The moonlight was coming down in bars through the single entrance to this little cave, and the left side of Zuko's face was illuminated, casting really strange shadows on the ridges of his scar, while leaving the other half almost invisible. It was an odd effect that I'm sure would have looked very dramatic to some, but I couldn't help but wonder if Zuko had actually posed himself so it would do that.

"What?" He seems annoyed. I suppose he's had a lot of people staring at him. No, not for that reason. Well, not _just_ for that reason.

"Aren't you going to go to sleep?" I asked. He shrugged.

"I'm not that tired."

"Oh. Okay then."

"Do you mind?"

I shook my head. In truth, I was glad for the company. I've found that my mind goes in... odd directions when I'm alone. Of course, by the time I figured this out I had already firmly impressed upon everyone I know that I like nothing better than to be left alone, and I couldn't very well try and change that, not without a period of severe uncomfortableness.

–

The Assassin.

"Sokka," Katara's face, shaking and sorrowful. "It's been too long. The wound's been torn wide open- she's lost too much blood already."

No.

"Katara, _do something_." I'm churned up inside, like someone's taking a knife to my gut and slowly twisting it.

"Like _what? _I'm doing the best I can, but it's not _working_." Her water-gloved hand presses against the wound, washing the room.

"I don't know! Something, anything! Katara, I'm begging you, _please_." My eyes are burning, my vision is failing, and there's nothing left but a hopeless scream.

"Sokka, I-" her jaw drops, and her eyes widen.

"What, what is it?"

"Stupid, stupid, _stupid_," she berates, and tugs the phial of spirit water from her neck.

"What's that?" I whisper, drawn towards it.

"Water from the spirit oasis. It's supposed to have special properties."

She empties the phial into her cupped hand, and presses it gently onto the wound.

The room blares white.

_Please_...

The glare dies, and I don't dare to breathe.

There's nothing. Not a breath.

No...

We took too long. We weren't fast enough.

–

The Guardian.

The knife danced across my knuckles, rolled across the back of my hand, and as it dropped I snatched it in two fingers before flipping it into the air. It ricocheted off the ceiling, spinning out of my control.

Of course, I was entirely ready for this, and was reaching out to grab it. Except Zuko got there first, just plucking it out of the air like he thought it was a twig or something. The only thing that stopped him getting a lovely slice on the hand was pure dumb luck.

Show-off.

He handed the knife back to me with a smile, and our fingers brushed as I accepted it. It struck me how warm he was, even now, in a cave in the middle of the woods in the middle of the night. I guess it's a firebender thing.

–

The Assassin.

The wind whistles through the old building.

A creak, as the house settles. Another.

And another.

A click.

I'm jerked to my feet, hurtled into the darkness as I rush down the hall, my sword in my hand. My feet pound the wood, and I burst into the room with a crash.

A shadowy figure, with a dagger in its hand.

Blood stains the sheets.

I'm two seconds too late.

--

The Guardian.

Nothing happened for a long while, as I just stared out of the cave door, in lieu of staring at Zuko, which I knew he wouldn't appreciate, and would certainly distract me from keeping an ear out for deadly archers.

But it got quite distracting when he started to fidget. Seriously, he started shuffling around in his seat like he was seven years old. It was bizarre, and not least because I could remember him doing the exact same sort of thing when we were younger. I don't remember why he did it.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, after he showed no signs of settling down after five minutes.

"...No. Nothing."

"Liar."

Disappointingly, he didn't rise to that. Oh well, can't have everything.

"You look worried," he said. Did I?

"I'm really not," I replied.

"Liar."

I glanced at him in mild amazement. Since when did Zuko have a sense of humour? Sure, it was terrible and derivative and really stupid, but he was actually _trying to be funny_.

I'm getting concerned now. Just how much did he change in the years away?

Why am I getting concerned? Zuko growing a sense of humour and actually figuring out how to engage his brain cannot be anything but a good thing, right?

He speaks again, distracting me from that particular train of thought. Probably for the best, really. Had I kept it up, I might have started wondering if there was a way to surgically remove a person's sense of humour, and where I would have to stab to achieve the effect. I told you my brain goes to odd places.

"Okay, how's this:"

"You tell me what's bothering you if I tell you what's supposedly worrying me?"

He looks nonplussed. And all is right with the world again.

"Well... why not?"

"It's trite."

"Like you care."

Can't argue there.

I sighed.

"Alright then." I stared out into the woods, wondering how to start this. Wondering if I could somehow get out of it. If I told him I didn't want to talk about it, he'd probably understand. I didn't really have to say anything.

"It's Mom and Dad." Hell. Maybe I'll feel better after I talk this out. Hah. "I'm worried about them. I don't know if they're still alive, if they're still in Omashu, anything. I've tried to keep them safe, but I screwed it all up, and now... I don't know. And even if they're all alright, I'm going to be on the other side when we meet again. I know Dad might understand what I've tried to do, if I'm lucky, but Mom? No chance." For all her faults, Mom's patriotism is unquestionably one of them. I sighed. "So, here I am, a traitor on the run in some quite severely reduced circumstances, and I'm just a little edgy about meeting my parents again. Your turn."

Zuko looked …almost physically ill, for some reason. "Mai..."

"Your turn."

He shook his head, and reached an arm out, placing it on my shoulder. His hand was heavy, but not unpleasantly so, large and warm.

"Mai, I... I don't think that _anyone_ could not understand. You've done so much to keep them safe, and I'm sure that they'll see that, and they'll be grateful for it. I know I would be." He gave my shoulder what he probably thought was a reassuring squeeze, but... he doesn't know his own strength, that boy. He was trying, though. "It'll be fine, I know it."

Typical Zuko overconfidence.

He smiled at me, and it occurred to me that he actually had a very nice smile, and perhaps he should smile more often, and that thought kept me preoccupied as he bade me goodnight and lay down and went to sleep.

…

Wait a minute.

_He never told me what was bothering him._

The mortal shame I felt at being outmanoeuvred by Zuko, even accidentally, kept me in a state of kind of stunned horror until dawn.

--

The Assassin.

The boomerang is spinning from my hand, hurtling towards the target, and I wait, listening for any sound of connection.

There's a sudden thunder of an explosion, and a body is knocked to the ground in front of me with a thud.

My head is wrenched upwards.

It's Ty.

She's not moving.

"_Sokka!"_

I'm gasping, pulling myself upward, and there's darkness all around me and …and...

I'm in my tent.

Another dream. Of course.

And there's someone there in the dark, some shadowy figure above me and gripping my shoulder so tightly it's almost bleeding, and I reach an unsteady hand to find out who it is and slender fingers are snatching it gently out of the air.

"Sokka?"

It's Ty. And suddenly I'm back in the dream, seeing her dead eyes staring blankly at the world, watching her die over and over-

"It was another dream, wasn't it?"

I nod, not trusting myself to speak. I blinked away the tears that were gathering.

"Are you alright?"

I don't know what I'm doing, but before I can stop myself I'm pulling her into a smothering embrace, just to prove to myself that she's _here _and _alive_ and there's a little corner of my brain that's telling me that things are getting very weird right now and I wouldn't be acting like this if I were the least bit coherent but I ignore it and her arms are around me and I feel better.

"Sokka..."

"Stay," I murmur.

"I'm not going anywhere."

And that's all I needed to hear.

–

The Guardian.

The dawn came, muted and sluggish though it was. The weather has been less than invigorating lately. Oh well.

I stood, and woke Toph, before stepping outside, to answer the call of nature.

That accomplished, I made my way back towards the cave, cursing silently at every fern and every tree root that got in my way.

It's very quiet.

Almost...

I whip around, and look upwards.

Oh. Oh no.

The trees are _crawling _with men.

I turn to run, and see Zuko's face peering interestedly at the sound of footsteps, and all I can do is yell at him.

"Don't come outside, you idiot!"

Then there's a sharp whistle and I twist and fall and everything goes bl-


	59. Fire Nation Diplomacy

**Chapter Fifty-Nine: Fire Nation Diplomacy.**

–

The Assassin.

The sun rose, and I eased into consciousness. I was feeling oddly comfortable. It was nice.

…Wait a minute. Something's not right.

There's a hand on my chest. It's not mine.

"Hmm..."

Oh. Ah. I remember now.

My left arm is pinned down by something warm. She's not exactly heavy, but my arm's numb, so I can't really move. Meh, I'm sure I'll survive. Somehow.

Hmm... I guess the thing to do would be to wake her up; after all, we have to get an early start (groan). But...

-I'm distracted. She's shifting in her sleep and now …it's absolutely none of your business, that's what. Although it does necessitate a quick check to ensure that yes, I am still wearing underwear.

That's something. I'm sort of on top of the weirdness at the moment- and weirdness is the word, along with a few others that are disturbingly quick to spring to mind- but it's always good to know that yes, I am wearing underpants right now.

Suddenly I'm blinded by daylight, as the tent flap is yanked aside.

A head pokes through. It's Katara. I think.

"Sokka! Wake up! We're supposed to be- uh. Um. Agh! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" she hissed, dropping the flap back before I could process what was going on and tell her that it... whatever it was, was definitely not what it looked like. I think. I still need some time to process what exactly Ty's leg had been doing, and what, if anything, I should be doing about it.

I can hear a muffled exchange from outside. It's Katara and someone else. The Kyoshi Commander, I think.

"What was _that _about?"

"What? Nothing, nothing. Absolutely nothing at all I need to go lie down now."

–

The Guardian.

The first thing that struck me was how dark it was. No. Wait. That's not right. The first thing that struck me was _pain_. Enormous, all-encompassing, eye-watering, metaphor-annihilating _pain_. The darkness was the second thing, though. I mean, you think that the night is dark, but this is a complete and total absence of any light whatsoever. It was sort of... the _anti-light_.

Why was it so dark? What's that noise? And why does my head _hurt_ so much?

I move a hand slowly, and try to touch the back of my head. I don't get far before I realise that I'm leaning up against something warm, and that something grabs my wrist before I can complete the examination of the pain demon squatting on the back of my head.

"Mai." I know that voice, I'm sure of it. "You're alright."

"Whu?" Okay, try again. "Wha's happening?"

"You were shot." The familiar voice is tight-lipped.

I processed this information.

"Don' _feel_ shot."

"Zuko, what do we do?"

Zuko. _That_'s his name.

Will someone please tell me what's going on?

I made a bid for freedom, but standing up was apparently beyond me right now, and I collapsed backwards in a second. Before I hit the ground, though, I was caught by the same warm something I had been leaning against when I was on the ground. A strong arm is suddenly wrapped around my waist, and I'm oddly aware that I should be thinking something right now.

"Mai! Are you alright?" That would be Zuko, then. I'm getting really tired of not being able to see.

"'S dark. Why's it dark?"

"We're underground. Toph pulled everyone down when you got hit, so we could get to you safely."

"But our air cannot last much longer, and we have no idea whether or not our enemies are still waiting for us," a voice, cracked with age, interjects.

Well, that all sounds good. I think.

_Mai. Get. A. Grip. This is no time for concussion._

This is the perfect time for concussion. I was shot in the back of the head. No. Wait. Bring shot in the head means it's the perfect time to _die_. Why am I not dead?

_Seriously. Are you even listening to what Zuko's saying? He wants to go face these guys!_

Well, that sounds reasonable. Death or glory charge, famous last stand, he loves that kind of thing.

Doesn't love me.

_Stop whining. You seem to have forgotten. Famous last stands are last stands because the guy standing _dies_. And that would be _BAD_._

"Zuko, don't do anything utterly retarded," I manage, as soon as the arguing voices are quiet enough to hear little me.

"See! Even Concussed Wonder agrees with me!"

Well, that's not very nice, is it?

–

The Assassin.

I guess it's time to get up now. Yay.

I roll to my left, and immediately I'm confronted with open eyes and a smile.

"Good morning! Did you sleep well?" Well, someone's chipper.

"Actually, yeah, thanks."

"Good!"

"Well..." I'm kind of unsure what the etiquette is here. "It's... time to get up. Moving. We should go to Chin village now."

"More walking?" She actually pouted. Well, if this whole... _thisness_ isn't going to bother her, I won't let it bother me either. We'll both act like this entire morning is totally normal and nothing out of the ordinary.

"I'm afraid so. But we should be there by midday, and then we can take a break or something."

"Well, that sounds good."

Neither of us had got up.

"Um," not sure how to broach this either "would you- I mean, I wouldn't ask, except you're kind of, well, um, you're lying on my arm." Damnit, I had hoped I could finish the sentence without directly referring to that which I have decided to treat as totally normal.

Emulating Ty is harder than it looks.

Of course, she just says 'oh' in her totally unflustered way, and just gets up and starts rooting around for her shoes. I pretend to be engrossed in finding my hair tie.

Aha. Found it.

"Do you ever think of changing your hair?"

Well. That came out of nowhere.

"Is there something wrong with my hair?" I asked, pretending to be mortally offended.

"No, no, it's just, well, you could do a lot more with it than just tie it back, you know? Here let me-"

I span around, purposefully overreacting.

"Whoa, no way. No one touches my hair. The hair is not for touching."

I had to laugh at the comical look of despair on her face.

"Fine," she huffed, and folded her arms.

"Excellent," I riposted, looking down my nose.

"Wonderful."

"Fabulous."

It lasted until we caught each other's eyes. Before we knew it we were just laughing like idiots.

I've found it's easy to be casual around Ty Lee.

–

The Guardian.

My head's a little clearer now. I'm starting to wish I was still insensible.

As far as I can piece together from all the arguing (since of course no one is taking the time to explain to me exactly what is going on) I was hit with an arrow in the back of the head. However, instead of killing me, - "Arrows are made of wood, aren't they?"- this merely knocked me out, for reasons no one quite understands. - "A fire shield? It is an interesting theory, Zuko, but not one I think you should be testing _now_!"- Immediately after I was hit, Zuko, phenomenal idiot that he is, rushed outside. - "Look, we don't have much more time, and if we run they'll just catch us again. Right now we know where they are, it's the closest we'll ever get to an advantage"- At the suggestion of General Iroh, Toph made walls around Zuko and myself, so he could reach me in relative safety. - "I hate to say it, but Zook's got a point"- Then Toph buried us all underground, making a little underground bubble. - "Thank you. And stop calling me that"- And so here we are.

Oh, and the air is running out. And Zuko wants to face these guys.

Hang on. They've stopped arguing.

And the ground is shaking.

Oh please don't tell me we're going up.

Shit.

There's barely time to stand up and check that I'm still armed, and moving that quickly makes me dizzy but there's a rumble of earth and there's daylight breaking through and I fall to my knees and there's a flutter and I know it's the sound of arrows and then there's a roar of flame and there's heat and light all around us encasing us and it's so close I could reach out and grab it but I don't and then suddenly it stops.

And... there's...

Nothing.

"..._Prince Zuko?_"

What? Who said that? Where?

A man drops from the trees, a little way away. Yu Yan. His bow is by his side, but that's small comfort. He doesn't seem to be dressed any differently than any other Yu Yan.

"Prince Zuko... what are you _doing _here?" He sounds vexed.

Zuko steps forwards.

"Is it any of your business?"

The man looks very uncomfortable.

"...My Prince, we were given orders that no one was to pass through this forest."

Zuko raised a haughty eyebrow.

"And you presumed that that applied to the Crown Prince?"

"...We were also informed that the Avatar and companions were headed this way. Our orders were to kill or capture if possible." He sounds very guarded, like he's thinking hard about all this.

Zuko glanced around. "Do you see the Avatar here?"

"...No."

"Then I fail to see why you would bother us. As you can see, I am simply taking a walk with my Uncle and some good friends of mine."

The Yu Yan man is fidgeting now.

"My Prince, with all due respect, it may be best if you came with us. Your Father will surely want to know you are safe in these turbulent times." Was that a threat, or was he sincere? I can't tell.

"I'm afraid I have prior commitments. Rest assured that I will meet my father again soon enough."

"I... see." That was a loaded exchange, right there.

"I have to commend you and your men, Captain. This was a very smartly executed ambush. Rest assured that the Fire Lord will hear of your competence and devotion to duty. There's a bright future ahead for you, if you're intelligent. The Fire Lord will surely respect intelligence." Zuko puts odd emphasis on 'Fire Lord'.

The Yu Yan man is still as a statue for a long while.

Then he bows.

"My Lord. I wish you the best of fortune in all your future endeavours. Rest assured that we shall keep this forest safe for the Fire Lord."

And just like that, they were gone. Melted away into the undergrowth.

…Would it be politic if I said I saw shades of Azula in Zuko's performance? No. He'd hardly take that as a compliment.

Huh? What's this?

On the ground, near all the disturbed earth. An arrow. It doesn't have a point. Instead, there's what appears to be a small bag of sand.

…Would that even work?

* * *

**Watch "The Blue Spirit". Zuko gets hit _in the face_ with an arrow. Somehow this only knocks him out. Yes, he's wearing a mask. The mask is made of wood. This would not help.**

**Therefore, the Yu Yan must have Green Arrow-esque Boxing Glove arrows.  
**


	60. A Brief Interlude

**Chapter Sixty: A Brief Interlude.**

–

The Assassin.

Chin village. Looks a little less wrecked than it did last time I was here. It's still just as boring, though. Actually, it's probably even more boring. I mean, last time at least there were amusing scorch marks over everything and some roofs were missing. Now it's just a town again. Truly, the least unique of all the snowflakes.

"Sokka?"

Wait, is that right? I mean, every snowflake is supposed to be different, right? I mean, everyone knows that, right? So if this is the least unique snowflake, does that mean that it's the same as another snowflake? And wouldn't that make it _more _unique? I mean, if every snowflake is different apart from these two that are the same, wouldn't that mean that these two are by far the _most_ unique of all the snowflakes?

"Sokka?"

Or is that just flawed reasoning? I mean, if each snowflake has a uniqueness value of 1, and there are these two identical snowflakes, then would those two have a uniqueness value of 0? So each and every snowflake is as unique as the other, so no one snowflake can be said to be more or less unique?

"Sokka?"

Wait, is uniqueness an absolute? Wouldn't it be fairer to say that if there are a matching pair of snowflakes, then that _phenomenon _is unique, but the snowflakes are, in themselves, not unique? Except for the fact that they're a matching pair. …I should really write this down.

"Sokka! Are you even listening?" Ty sounds irked.

"Yep. Totally."

"Then what was I saying?"

"Something about snowflakes."

"..._What_?" Ha. Bamboozled. Oh, Sokka, you are so slick. She shook her head, her braid swishing. "Never mind. What I was _saying_ was, how much longer are we going to be staying here?"

"We really don't have time to waste. I think we should just restock and get moving again, now we've dropped off the Rhinos." But it's not just my decision any more, is it? "Ty, can I ask you a favour?"

She glanced over. "Sure. What is it?"

"Could you ask... what's her name?"

"Who?"

"You know, the Commander of the Kyoshi Warriors?"

"Oh! It's... Suki, I think."

"Cool. Well, could you ask her if her crew can be ready to leave soon? I'll see if I can find a place to resupply."

"Sure." And off she went, cool as a cucumber. But that's a metaphor (in my head, I heard a scratchy voice say 'simile') to tackle another day.

Right. Shopping time.

–

The Guardian.

We trudged through the woods. It was dull. And quiet. And I have an enormous bruise on the back of my head.

Nice.

Trudge trudge trudge.

People tried to break the silence occasionally, but it always petered out before too long. The trees were too tall to talk under.

–

The Assassin.

Apparently the Kyoshi Warr- her name's _Suki_. I guess I should really try and remember that, it's shorter if nothing else- was in agreement with me, and as soon as her crew had eaten, they would be leaving with us. Katara was with them, and I was stocking up on essentials.

Well, I was trying to, anyway.

The only place that I could find enough food for all of our larger party was at a small market. Ty had offered to help me carry stuff, which I had accepted gratefully. But now I was wondering if it was such a good idea.

There were stalls of various foodstuffs (but this time it seemed that they were out of Water Tribe cuisine, to my chagrin), some really lame swords and stuff (one of them had _gilt engravings _on the _blade_. I think I died a little inside), and there were some clothes. But they weren't the problem.

Every market has a stall like this. Normally, I wouldn't mind them- after all, if they do business, it means that _some _people must find them useful- but today this one was the bane of my existence.

The curiosity stand. It had enormous amounts of utterly, utterly useless things. Most of which looked horrible. And it had attracted Ty like a bee to nectar.

This couldn't end well.

Crap. She's looking up from all the junk and is waving at me. What now? Do I pretend I didn't see her, and just move on to the vegetables? Will she give up the random junk table? If I move away, and she doesn't immediately follow, will I have to carry all this stuff by myself? Is there any possible way that she hasn't noticed that I'm just standing here staring at her while I'm weighing options?

Crap.

So, of course, I mooched over, a sense of doom hanging over me.

I just hoped she didn't want the fifty-pound stone monkey. Remember, we have to carry everything ourselves now.

I traipse over, running my eye over the wares. Come on, who could possibly find any of this crap-

…Is that a... hat? With a lens attached to it? Like, some kind of magnifying glass attachment?

Okay, that's actually kind of cool. But it's not what Ty's interested in.

"Sokka, look!" And she's waving something bright and colourful in my face. It's a brooch? No, it's a ...hair thingy, in the shape of a butterfly.

"How very stereotypical of you, Ty."

She doesn't appreciate the comment, and lets me know as much.

"Am I not allowed to like pretty things, Sokka?" She's not serious, though. Which is good.

"Hey, I didn't say that. Don't you start putting words in my mouth now."

So, of course, I end up buying the thing for her, because apparently I'm really easy to manipulate, and I have to put up with the smirk from the evil old woman behind the counter, and I have to pay three whole silver pieces, which is more than I've spent on vegetables.

I can't bring myself to get too worked up over it, though. Maybe it's the weather.

Or it could be the look on Ty's face, and the fact that she kind of draped herself around my shoulders afterwards. My money's on the weather, though.

–

The Guardian.

Trudge, trudge, trudge. The forest is getting thinner, and the map says that we should be leaving it behind for good soon. Yay.

Hold on. I think I'm getting blisters. I think. I assume it's a blister anyway.

No, wait, false alarm. Stone in my shoe.

Hey, no need to _wait_ or anything, guys. It's no problem, I can just run after you and catch up.

Assholes.

–

Eventually, we met up with the river again as it came out of the forest. It dropped down a series of short waterfalls, which, with Toph's assistance, were ridiculously easy to circumnavigate, and before too much longer we were staring at the mouth of the 'secret tunnel'.

Yes, the inverted commas are deliberate. Let's ignore for a moment that there is a song written about this secret, and, in these troubled times, tactically vital tunnel. The mouth of this thing is a good fifty feet wide, and there's a well- built and quite clearly up until recently well maintained road leading right to it. There are even _statues_ lining the walls of the canyon!

If this is the Earth Kingdom's idea of a secret, it's amazing that they haven't all been conquered yet.

Oh well, onward into the dark, then. I guess.

–

The Assassin.

We left Chin in short order, which I was glad of. Ty was up ahead, talking with …Suki (got to try and remember her name), with the rest of us falling in behind them. After a while, Suki dropped back until she was level with me, while Ty went to talk to Katara.

Suki gave me a sidelong look.

"Your friend is kind of …interesting."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. She asked me about Kyoshi Island for a while, then out of the blue complemented me on my aura. Apparently it goes with my eyes or something. Then she said that since it was a very nice shade of auburn, that meant I was trustworthy and practical." She said this as if she were trying to gauge my reaction.

"She does that. Apparently I'm green. Whatever that means."

"Huh. Where'd you find her, anyway?"

Hmm. I think maybe I shouldn't bring that up. Perhaps. At least not yet. After all, not everyone will react well when told that two of her travelling companions have lived in the palace of the Fire Lord.

"I didn't. She found me."

"Oh."

Before she could protest exactly how much of a non-answer that was, I pulled ahead. We are in a hurry, after all.

**--**

**Sorry for the lateness and shortness of this chapter. I've been busy working. Plus, inspiration struck, and I spent a lot of yesterday evening when I should have been updating instead writing something that's actually good- an Avatar creation myth, for use in the story I'm probably going to do after this one. It required me to actually be creative and do a little research, but I think it's worth it. So that's why in this chapter very little happens.  
**


	61. Spelunker

**Chapter Sixty-One: Spelunker.**

_Important A/N at the bottom._

–

The Guardian.

Caves. I've never really experienced caves before.

If that sentence strikes you as odd, then you've never gone and walked through caves before. It was actually really strange. I can't quite explain it, but it was. There was absolutely no noise, and the air was dry, and warm. It was stifling, but... not. I found, to my surprise, that I was actually fairly content.

Perhaps, once all this is over, I shall take a holiday, and go explore some other kinds of caves.

Suddenly, Toph froze.

"Hold up. Something's wrong."

"What?"

Her feet shifted, her stance widening. "I just felt earthbending. Up ahead. This tunnel's blocked off."

What.

Zuko blinked. "Can you...earthbend it unblocked again?"

"Sure, I- oh. No. No I think that would _really_ be a bad idea."

I shared a confused glance with General Iroh.

"...Why, exactly?"

"Drawing attention to ourselves would be... _bad_."

And just like that, I never want to be near another cave in my life.

"Explain. No cryptic mumbo-jumbo or I'll cut your ears off."

"Badger-moles. Up ahead. Moving through the tunnels. We _don't _want to get their attention."

Iroh nodded.

"I think Toph has a point. Perhaps an alternate route?"

I nodded. "Yep. Let's go."

Pissing off ten-ton monsters is pretty high on my 'Do Not Try' list.

–

When we finally, after a lot of apparently completely random twists and turns, with Toph occasionally whispering that we had to turn back, decided to bunk down for the night, something occurred to me to marginally improve my disposition towards the situation.

I couldn't see anything. I didn't have Spectacular-Toph-O-Vision, and I couldn't make fire with my mind.

Therefore, I was going to actually get a full night's sleep.

I can't remember the last time I got a full night's sleep.

Oh, wait, yes I can.

_It was a very long time ago._

–

The Assassin.

Another night around a camp-fire. I'm beginning to regret not staying in Chin. At least there there were beds.

Oh well. At least we're making up for lost time.

I busied myself with staring at the map. Up ahead, the path diverged, south along the coast and north through a wood. Initially, the plan had been to keep to the south road- it was longer, but safer. Now, however, Suki had suggested that since we were running late we should take the more northerly route. She figured that that way we could make up at least half a day's distance.

I didn't like the idea, and told her so.

"I really don't think we should take any unnecessary risks. There's a lot more Fire Nation presence on the north road, and if they're at all woodcrafty they'll be able to set up ambushes the entire way."

She wasn't impressed with my warning.

"And _are_ the Fire Nation typically at all woodcrafty?"

I scratched my head. "Well... no, not really. I mean, Fire Nation tactics generally dictate that sneaking up on your enemy is cowardly, and the only way to really decide anything is with two armies all lined up and then everyone charges forward. There are exceptions, but that's the conventional school of thought."

She gave me an odd look, and I wondered if perhaps I seemed a little too knowledgeable about this kind of thing.

"So what are you worried about? I mean, if we're going to get back on schedule then we'll need every short-cut we can manage."

"I'm just saying that we shouldn't take more risks than are necessary. I really don't think that half a day's advantage is worth the risk. We're a small enough force already, we have to be _careful_." I realised that I was starting to raise my voice, and forced it down.

I think that Suki might be starting to get annoyed. Not good. If there's something that I don't want, it's to alienate any potential allies for Aang. And right now, I'm representing him in this conversation.

Okay, fine, I'll back down.

I sighed. "Whatever. You think it's worth the risk, well, that's your prerogative." I bit back the second half of that sentence- _it's the lives of your people you're gambling with, after all_. I reminded myself that I was conceding, not passive-aggressively trying to prove my point. "I reserve the right to say 'I told you so', though." I'll just have to try and make sure that no one gets killed, so I don't have to say it. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sleep."

I left the camp-fire without another word. I think I may have confused some people, but whatever.

–

The Guardian.

"Mai, wake up. It's morning."

I staggered upright, and looked around.

"...How can you tell?"

Zuko shrugged. "Well, I kind of guessed. I mean, I feel more energetic now, and that might be because the sun is up."

"Or you might be imagining it. I vote we sleep for another couple of hours, just in case."

He might have chuckled. I thought that was rather unfair. Every time I attempted to be amusing around him, he just gave me that blank look that said he didn't get it. But when I'm being serious, apparently I'm a bundle of laughs. There's no justice.

And so, it's back to walking in a kind of paranoid hush. Who knows what foul things might be lurking in these caves.

It's a profound feeling of disconnect I'm picking up in here. I have no evidence to support Zuko's theory that it might be morning (I refuse to accept bender 'feelings' as evidence of _anything_), and that combined with a growing sense of claustrophobia is producing a very strange feeling, on a purely physical level a kind of prickling inside my head, like someone's switched my brain for an angry porcupine-weasel, and on a more cognisant level a horrible awareness of the odds that we could die here or go crazy or run out of food or get eaten by some giant monster, like someone had taken my personality and switched it for an angst-ridden obsessive-compulsive eleven-year-old's. The fact that if we talk too loudly we run the risk of attracting the attentions of giant earthbending monsters certainly isn't helping.

Wait a second.

I think I heard something.

–

The Assassin.

I stretch, yawning hugely as I get up. It was still dark outside, it seemed.

I had slept well last night, which on the one hand I was extremely grateful for, and on the other...

Okay. Train of thought getting into unfamiliar territory here.

I flop backwards, and put my hands behind my head. I guess it's time to sort a few things out, now I've got the time. I shall be practical, clinical, and rational. Let's roll.

First and only thing on the list, Ty Lee. Specifically, the parameters of my relationship with the aforesaid.

Let us first consider where exactly said relationship had been before everything kicked off. The aforesaid, for reasons I have yet to actually understand, decided that I was interesting, and as such began to visit me. She went as far as to ask Azula to grant me a little more freedom of movement, which she allowed. After a period of me being antisocial and rude, it dawned upon me that the aforesaid had considerably more patience than I, and this was one battle of attrition that I was going to lose. So I conceded, and we began to talk more often. This laid the foundations of what I would consider to be a rewarding friendship. Worthy of note at this juncture was the fact that she behaved at times in a manner that some might consider flirtatious. However, since the aforesaid is in fact Ty Lee, this may be something of a reflex on her part.

This continues for some time, until one day she fails to appear for some weeks, and I am informed by Azula that she left to join the circus. I was more upset by this than I had expected. Then the Avatar returns, and things start to happen.

We are briefly reunited before my final mission for Azula begins, and we meet again at Ba Sing Se. Briefly.

This is getting me nowhere fast, and the sun is rising. Time to change tack.

The Pros and Cons of Entering Into a Relationship with Ty Lee.

_Pros_:

Firstly, Ty herself. She's a caring, intelligent, fun, beautiful and (hello) flexible girl.

Secondly, well, I think I want to. I'm actually fairly certain I want to. I care a lot about her, and I want to spend time with her.

_Cons_:

Firstly, this is hardly the time. Really. We're in the middle of a war here, on the road with very limited privacy. Not ideal.

Secondly, I'm not sure what Ty's intentions are. More observation may be required.

So it's decided, then. I'll wait, and observe until such a time as I have more accommodating circumstances.

There. The cold steely embrace of logic triumphs yet again.

...I have to get up now, don't I?

–

The Guardian.

I'm quite certain I heard something.

I clear my throat.

"Guys, I-"

"Shut up!" Toph hisses, cutting me off. "I think there's people up ahead!"

Well, I was just going to _say _that when you-

Everything goes dark as Iroh and Zuko cut out their firebending, and I blunder into a wall.

Sometimes I hate the universe.

Everything's quiet and tense as we hear footsteps get louder. There's a muffled conversation.

"...been here for three days now. This was a bad idea." A scratchy voice. Unsure of gender.

"Look, stop complaining, it's not going to help." Definitely male. "...Are you _sure_ you saw torchlight this way? …No, I'm not trying to question your eyesight, it's just that I don't see anything or hear anything, and..."

A light appears around a bend in the tunnel up ahead. It's coming from a torch held by a boy. About nineteen. Truly awful hair. Big chin. Swords.

Another guy. Younger. Paler. Big eyes. Sweet hat. Carrying a bow.

A frankly enormous man carrying what looks like an entire tree trunk. Choice of headwear seems to be a small child. Hmm.

And rounding off the group is a young... boy? Let's go with that. Short. Got swords in sheaths. Body armour. Even worse hair than the first guy.

What a troupe.

They see us. Instantly on guard. Okay, knives drop into hands, too closed a space to throw effectively, twist flowers in hands until they split into three, hold knives in between knuckles until they're impromptu knuckledusters, and I'm ready to go.

Let's make this quick. I have places to be, and parents to argue with.

* * *

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**I make no apologies for the lateness of _this_ chapter, either. However, I do have an explanation. Last week was Exam Week, and as such I have been really really busy. Now, with my exams over, you'd think that I have the leisure time to get this story done.**

**Sort of. I do have free time now, but less than you'd think, and if all goes to plan, I will be going dark for a while around mid August. So it's something of a race. Which brings me to my second problem.**

**This story has always been, in my mind, a fundamentally bad idea. It has taken a truly wretched excuse for a plot scenario, and made a whole-assed attempt to work a reasonable story out of it. So far, so good.**

**Then, the unthinkable happened. I had a _good_ idea.**

**This happened less than a week ago, but already it has been drawing me in, it's siren call sucking in all my creative energy. What makes this idea more dangerous than the other good ideas I have had for stories while writing this one is how bloody _similar_ it is to the general concept of this one- picking two second-or-third tier characters and following them through a universe that is fundamentally changed by one simple plot alteration.**

**And suddenly _Knives_ isn't as fun any more. I know that if I abandon it, then I will almost certainly _never_ be able to pick it up again as it stands. If I ever do, it will have to undergo one hell of a rewrite. And I do want to finish it.**

**So I'll soldier on. Maybe it'll get better. Or not. Either way, blackout probably mid/late-August.**


End file.
